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MEMORIAL  l^^^ov  5  1941 


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V 


KEY.  AEPiAHAM  POLHEMUS,  D.D, 

intc  iVIinistcr  of  tfit  Xortf)  3^t{.  jButd)  €burr)i  of  Ntbjart. 


noxTAJxixc; 


A  BRIEF  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH, 


A  SELECTION   OF   DISCOURSES 


DEMVKRKD  TO   HIS   LATE   CHARGK. 


NEWARK,  N.  J.  : 
PUBLISHKD  BY  THE  CONSISTORY  OF  SAID  CHURCH. 

18  5  8. 


JOHN   A.  OHAY, 

PHINTER    AND    STEREOTTPElt, 

16  4  IS  Jacob  Street,  N.  Y. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Memoir, 5 

Resolutions  at  Newark  and  Hopewell, 21 

Tribute  to  Dr.  Polhemus, 24 

Funeral  Discourse.     By  Dr.  Forsyth, 27 

SERMONS    BY    DR.  POLHEMUS. 

I.  The  Preacher's  Theme,    ........      45 

"I  determined  not  to  know  anything  among  you,  save  Jesus 
Christ,  and  him  crucified." — 1  Oor.  2  :  2. 

II.  The  Penitent  Thief, gj 

"And  he  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest 
into  thy  kingdom.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Yerily,  I  say 
unto  thee,  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise."  — 
Luke  23  :  42,  43. 

III.  Dark  Dispensations  known  hereafter, 73 

"  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now ;  but  thou  shalt  know  here- 
after."—John  13  :  7. 

IV.  The  Law  magnified, 84 

"  He  will  magnify  the  law,  and  make  it  honorable." — ISA.  42  :  21. 

V.  The  Martyrdom  of  Stephen, 95 

"  And  they  stoned  Stephen,  calling  upon  God,  and  saying.  Lord 
Jesus,  receive  my  spirit.  And  he  kneeled  down  and  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge." — 
Acts  V  :  59,  60. 

VI.  The  Life  to  come, 106 

"  The  life  which  is  to  come."— 1  Tim.  4  :  8. 

VII.  The  Victory  OF  Faith, 119 

"  Whatsoever  is  born  of  God,  overcometh  the  world :  and  this  is 
the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith." — 
1  John  5  :  4. 


ly  CONTENTS. 

PAOB 

VIII.  The  Conversion  of  Saul  of  Tarsus, 131 

"And  as  he  journeyed,  he  came  near  Damascus:  and  suddenly 
there  shined  round  about  him  a  light  from  heaven:  and  he  fell 
to  the  earth,  and  heard  a  voice  saying  unto  him,  Saul,  Saul, 
why  persecutest  thou  me  ?  And  he  said,  Who  art  thou,  Lord  ? 
And  the  Lord  said,  I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest.  And 
he  trembling  and  astonished,  said.  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have 
me  to  do  ?  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him.  Arise,  and  go  into 
the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do." — 
Acts  9  :  3-6. 

IX.  Christ  in  tue  midst  of  the  Golden  Candlesticks,   .        ,        .     141 

"And  being  turned,  I  saw  seven  golden  candlesticks;  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  seven  candlesticks  one  like  unto  the  Son  of  man, 
clothed  with  a  garment  down  to  the  foot,  and  girt  about  the 
paps  with  a  golden  girdle." — Rev.  1  :  12,  13, 

X.  Christ  precious  to  Believers, 153 

"  Unto  you,  therefore,  which  believe,  he  is  precious." — 1  Pet.  2  :  7. 

XI.  A  door  opened  in  Heaven, 163 

"I  looked,  and  behold,  a  door  was  opened  in  heaven." — Rev.  4 :  1. 

XII.  The  Resurrection  of  the  Body, 173 

"Who  shall  change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like 
unto  his  glorious  body,  according  to  the  working  whereby  he 
is  able  even  to  subdue  all  things  unto  himself." — Phil.  3  :  21. 

Ihstallation  Sermon.    By  Rev.  Dr.  Riddle, 189 


Resolutioxs   of  the  Coxsistoey    of   the   Xorth  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  of  the  City  of  Newark  : 

Hesolved,  That  as  a  mark  of  our  high  regard  for  our  late 
pastor,  Rev.  Abraham  Polhemus,  D.D.,  and  with  a  view  to  the 
spiritual  advancement  of  the  people  of  his  charge,  and  of  all  who 
may  peruse  the  work,  a  memorial,  consisting  of  a  brief  biogra- 
phical sketch,  and  a  selection  from  the  edifying  and  scriptural 
sermons  Avhich  he  delivered  to  us  during  his  brief  ministry,  be 
published  under  the  direction  of  Consistory. 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Consistory  be  given  to  Rev. 
John  Forsyth,  D.D.,  for  his  aid  in  the  preparation  of  such  me- 
morial, and  for  the  valuable  discourse,  delivered  by  him  on  the 
death  of  our  pastor  ;  and  that  the  same  be  also  published. 

Hesolved,  That  the  Rev.  Dr.  Riddle  be  also  requested  to 
furnish,  for  publication,  a  copy  of  the  sermon  delivered  by  him  at 
the  installation  of  Dr.  Polhemus. 


MEMOIR. 


The  Rev.  Abraham  Polhemus,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Hallett's 
Cove,  (now  Astoria,)  Long  Island,  in  1812.  He  was  em- 
phatically a  son  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  for  both  his 
paternal  and  maternal  ancestors  during  nearly  two  centu- 
ries had  lived  and  died  in  her  fellowship.  He  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  the  Rev.  Johannes  Theodorus  Polhemus,  who 
had  been  sent  by  the  Church  of  Holland,  as  a  missionary  to 
Itamarca,  in  Brazil.  Leaving  this  field — for  what  reason  we 
know  not — he  came  to  New-JSTetherland  in  1654,  and  was  soon 
after  installed  minister  of  Midwout,'^  (now  Flatbush,)  or  rather" 
of  the  whole  region  now  known  as  the  County  of  Kingsj  The 
parents  of  Dr.  Polhemus,  during  his  early  years,  were  mem 
bers  of  the  church  of  iSTewtown,  which,  in  connection  witli 
that  of  Jamaica,  was  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  late 
venerable  and  Rev.  Dr.  Schoonmaker.  When  at  a  proper  age 
he  was  sent  to  a  classical  school  taught  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whit- 
ing, under  whose  care  he  remained  until  his  admission  to  the 
Sophomore  class  of  Rutgers  College,  in  1828. 

During  his  residence  at  College,  Dr.  Polhemus  was  noted  for 
his  joyous  temperament,  and  his  exceedingly  companionable 
qualities,  and  as  may  be  inferred,  he  was  a  decided  favorite 

*  The  church  at  Midwout — tlie  first  Reformed  Dutch  Church  on  Long  Island — 
was  erected  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  It  was  about  60  feet  long,  and  28  wide. 
Dominie  Polhemus  preached  in  it  every  Sunday  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  ;it 
Ereuckelen  and  Amersfort  (Flatlands)  alternately,  until  the  installation  of  Henry 
Belyns  at  Breuckelen.     He  labored  here  until  1676. — Brodhead  Hiit,  530,  G1.5. 


6 


with  his  fellow-students.  He  always  maintained  a  most  re- 
spectable position  in  his  class.  His  genial  disposition  laid  him 
open  to  temptation ;  but  tliough  a  mere  youth,  and  one  who 
made  at  that  time  no  profession  of  religion,  he  was  mercifully 
kept  by  God's  restraining  grace  from  the  follies  and  vices 
which  are  more  or  less  incident  to  academic  life.  He  was 
graduated  in  1831.  During  the  ensuing  year  his  mind  was 
arrested  by  the  subject  of  his  religious  condition  and  prospects, 
and  having  obtained  a  good  hope  through  grace,  he  resolved 
to  consecrate  himself  to  the  ministry  of  reconciliation.  He 
united  with  the  Collegiate  Dutch  Church  of  New-York,^  in 
1831  or  1832,  and  soon  afterwards  returned  to  :^rew-Brunswick. 
to  join  the  Theological  Seminary,  in  which  he  took  the  full 
course  of  study  under  Drs.  Milledoler,  Cannon,  and  McCel- 

land. 

He  received  licensure   from  the  Classis  of  Xew-lork  m 
July,  1835,  and  soon  after  he  accepted  the  call  of  the  congre- 
gation of  Hopewell  to  become  their  pastor.     Over  this  pleasant 
rural  charge  he  was  ordained  and  installed  on  the  28th  Octo- 
ber, 1835.     In  the  same  year  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  13. 
Heyer,  daughter  of  the  late  Isaac  Heyer,  long  an  active  and 
must  useful  member  of  the  Collegiate  Church  of  New-York. 
The  life  of  the  Christian  pastor,  whether  in  town  or  country, 
who  is  exclusively  occupied  with  the  duties  of  his  ministry,  is 
not  usually  diversified  by  very  striking  incidents;  it  is  apt  to 
flow  on  in  an  even  current.     Such  was  particularly  the  case 
with  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Polhemus  at  Hopewell.    There  were 
periods  when  the  Lord  gave  testimony  to  the  word  of  his  grace, 
vet  there  was  at  no  time  a  revival  of  so  remarkable  a  charac- 
ter as  to  call  for  a  special  history  of  it.     Month  by  month,  and 
vear  after  year,  he  went  out  and  in  among  the  people  of  his 
charge,  preaching  to  them  publicly  and  from  house  to  house, 
growing  in  their  affections,  and  having  good  reason  to  believe 
that  his  labors  were  not  in  vain.    Though  called  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  relatives  near  and  dear  to  him  —  his  father,  and  an 


only  sister — his  own  immediate  family  was  never  invaded  bv 
death  during  his  residence  there. 

In  1846,  he  visited  Europe,  partially  w-ith  a  view  to  attend 
the  Evangelical  Alliance,  which  met  in  London  in  August  of 
that  year.  The  tour  embraced  the  most  interesting  portions  of 
England,  Scotland,  France,  and  Holland.  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  he  enjoyed  it  exceedingly,  and  often  delighted  his  friends 
by  his  graphic  accounts  of  the  incidents  of  travel,  humorous  or 
otherwise,  and  by  his  iK^ely  recollections  of  the  men  whom  he 
met  during  the  sessions  of  the  Alliance. 

After  his  return  home,  he  received  several  invitations,  formal 
and  informal,  to  remove  to  other  fields  of  labor — to  Utica,  to 
Xewburgh,  and  to  Belleville — all  of  which  he  deemed  it  his 
duty  to  decline.  Considerations,  certainly,  were  not  wanting 
to  induce  him  to  accept  one  or  other  of  these  calls,  such  as  fa- 
cilities for  the  education  of  his  children,  and  the  more  abund- 
ant means  of  intellectual  culture  aiforded  by  a  town,  as  com- 
pared with  those  to  which  the  rural  pastor  has  access.  But 
when  the  moment  for  decision  came,  his  own  love  for  Hope- 
well, and  the  manifold  evidences  of  his  people's  warm  affection 
for  himself,  carried  the  day. 

The  region  covered  by  the  parish  is  in  what  may  well  be 
styled  the  garden  of  Dutchess  county,  one  of  the  oldest  and 
best  cultivated  portions  of  the  State  of  !N"ew-Tork,  and  abounds 
in  scenery  at  once  beautiful  and  grand.  The  view  from  the 
parsonage  belongs  to  the  class  of  which  it  may  be  said,  "  the 
eye  is  not  satisfied  with  seeing,"  as  new  points  of  attraction  are 
perpetually  presenting  themselves.  N'or  is  the  region  less  at- 
tractive in  its  social  and  moral  aspects.  It  is  in  the  main  oc- 
cupied by  a  homogeneous  population,  whose  fathers  for  several 
generations  have  lived  and  died  in  the  faith  and  fellowship  of 
the  Eeformed  Dutch  Church.  And  as  there  is  only  a  limited 
admixture  of  race  in  the  population,  so  is  there  comparatively 
little  diversity  of  religious  profession.  The  church  of  Hope- 
well may  properly  be  styled  the  parish  church  of  the  precinct 


8 

of  that  name,  for  the  great  mass  of  the  people  resident  witliia 
its  bounds  belong  to  it  as  members  or  adherents.  The  minis- 
ter in  such  a  locality,  who  efficiently  discharges  the  functions 
of  the  pastor  and  the  preacher,  holds  a  position,  in  some  re- 
spects at  least,  much  more  patriarchal  and  potential  in  influ- 
ence, than  is  that  of  a  pastor  in  town  or  city.  Such  was  the 
position  of  Dr.  Polheraus  in  Hopewell,  after  he  had  lived  there 
long  enough  to  become  known  to  the  community,  and  the 
labors  of  years  had  won  for  him  the  Ibve  and  confidence  of 
those  among  whom  he  went  preaching  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

Nor  should  we  omit  to  mention  here,  his  pleasant  relations 
with  his  brethren  of  the  Classis  of  Poughkeepsie.  With  his 
immediate  neighbors,  the  ministers  of  Fishkill  and  Ilackcn- 
sack,  his  acquaintance  began  about  the  time  of  his  licensure, 
and  their  mutual  affection  was  of  the  strongest  kind.  As 
their  parishes  were  contiguous,  they  were  near  enough  to  eacli 
to  become  in  a  special  sense  co-laborers  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  to  sympathize  with  each  other's  sorrows,  and  to  be 
helpers  of  eacli  other's  joy.  >  Other  members  resided  at  too 
great  a  distance  to  admit  of  very  frequent  intercourse  witli 
them,  yet  when  it  did  occur,  it  was  eminently  cordial  and  con- 
fidential. "  Often,"  says  the  Eev.  Dr.  Kip,  in  a  letter  to  a 
mutual  friend — "  often  has  our  dear  brother  remarked  to  me, 
that  he  anticipated  the  meetings  of  Classis  with  great  delight, 
as  the  seasons  of  reiinion  with  beloved  friends."  It  may  with 
safety  be  said,  that  no  member  of  the  body  held  a  higher 
place  in  the  esteem  of  his  associates,  or  exerted  a  more  com- 
manding influence  in  the  discussions  of  the  Classis,  than  Dr. 
Polhemus. 

P>y  his  congregation.  Dr.  Polhemus  was  esteemed  very 
highly,  in  love  for  his  work's  sake,  and  also  for  his  own  sake. 
Ordinarily,  the  church  was,  on  the  Sabbath,  filled  with  an  at- 
tentive audience.  The  pastor's  wishes  and  counsels  in  regard 
to  things  spiritual,  or  to  "  the  outward  business"  of  the  house 
of  God,  were  sought  and  respected.     His  comfort  was  studied  ; 


and  what  is  far  better,  he  had  from  time  to  time  the  joy  of 
knowing  that  his  labors  in  the  Lord  were  not  in  vain.*  He 
would  have  been  a  strangely  constituted  man,  if  he  had  not 
felt  himself  strongly  bound  to  such  a  field,  and  such  a  people. 

But  it  was  clearly  the  Master's  will  that  the  ties  which  bound 
Dr.  Polhemus  to  Hopewell  should  be  broken.  In  December, 
1856,  the  scheme  of  erecting  the  North  Dutch  Church  of  New- 
ark, which  had  been  for  some  time  under  consideration,  was 
formally  set  on  foot,  and  prosecuted  with  much  energy,  and 
with  a  success  that  fully  vindicates  the  wisdom  of  the  enterprise. 
From  the  outset  the  attention  of  the  persons  engaged  in  it,  had 
been  turned  toward  Dr.  Polherrius,  whom  they  regarded  as  be- 
ing specially  qualified,  both  as  a  man  and  as  a  minister,  to  be- 
come a  co-worker  with'  them  in  the  arduous  undertaking  of 
building  up  a  new  congregation  in  the  city  of  Newark.  Ac- 
cordingly, as  soon  as  the  church  was  organized,  and  the  requi- 
site forms  and  notices  could  be  observed,  a  unanimous  call  was 
presented  to  him  in  January,  1857.  There  were  considerations 
which  strongly  drew  him  to  Newark;  and  yet  for  reasons  al- 
ready suggested,  he  hesitated  as  to  the  path  of  duty.  But  after 
a  prayerful  consideration  of  the  whole  matter,  he  believed  that 
Providence  j)ointed  him  to  Newark,  and  he  was  accordingly 
released  from  his  charge  by  the  Classis  of  Poughkeepsie  on  the 
23d  March,  1857. 

Dr.  Polhemus  was  installed  pastor  of  the  North  Church  of 
Newark  on  the  evening  of  the  3d  of  May,  1857.t  With  what 
views  and  feelings  he  entered  this  new  field  of  labor — in  many 
respects  so  difierent  from  that  which  he  had  left — maybe  seen 
in  the  sermon  he  delivered  on  the  succeeding  Sabbath.  He 
was  not  free  from  anxieties  of  various  kinds,  but  he  had  a 

*  The  number  added  to  the  church  of  Hopewell  during  his  ministry,  was  225. 
Of  tliese,  200 -were  on  confession  of  their  faith. 

*  The  service  took  place  in  the  First  Dutch  Churcli.  The  sermon  was  preached, 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Riddle  of  Jersey  City,  and  it  was  a  most  impressive  and  scriptural 
discourse.  It  is  inserted  in  this  volume,  at  the  request  of  the  Consistory  of  the 
North  Dutch  Church. 


10 

clieerful  hope  that  the  results  would  be  good.  Depending  upon 
promised  grace,  he  concentrated  all  his  energies  upon  the  work 
to  which  his  Master  had  called  him  ;  and  brief  as  was  his 
career,  it  was  long  enough  to  bring  out  the  sterling  qualities 
of  the  man,  and  to  prove  his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  post  to 
which  he  had  been  invited.  His  congregation  was  in  its  in- 
fancy, in  point  of  numbers  only  a  little  band,  with  the  costly 
work  before  them  of  erecting  a  suitable  house  of  worship  ;  but 
Dr.  Polhemns  had  not  been  among  them  a  week,  before  he  had 
reason  to  feel  as  Paul  did  among  the  Koman  brethren,  who 
came  to  meet  him  at  Appii  Forum,  "  whom  when  he  saw,  he 
thanked  God  and  took  courage^  His  people  rallied  round  him, 
and  inspired  the  pastor  with  confidence.  And  from  that  mo- 
ment until  the  sad  evening,  when  they  bore  his  lifeless  remains 
to  the  sepulchre,  they  felt  for  him  and  his  an  untiring  and  de- 
voted affection.     That  affection  is  unabated. 

He  labored  with  diligence  and  most  encouraging  success, 
until  the  12th  of  August,  when  he  left  ISTewark  to  get  a  few 
weeks'  relaxation,  and  to  visit  his  friends  at  ISTewburgh  and 
Hopewell.  Before  he  reached  ISTewburgh,  which  he  did  on 
the  evening  of  the  12th,  he  complained  of  feeling  ill,  the  result, 
probably,  of  getting  over-heated  when  on  his  way  to  the  steam- 
boat in  New-York ;  but  for  several  days,  though  confined  to 
the  house,  the  case  was  not  deemed  serious  enough  to  require 
medical  aid.  On  the  following  Monday,  however,  a  physician 
was  called  in,  who  found  him  suffering  under  an  aggravated 
form  of  dysentery,  which  increased  in  virulence  to  such  a  de- 
gree by  the  end  of  the  week,  that  it  was  thought  advisable  to 
seek  the  counsel  of  his  old  Christian  friend  and  family  physician. 
Dr.  Wortman,  of  Hopewell.  From  that  time  he  never  left  the 
house,  nor  even  his  room,  until  he  was  borne  from  it  to  his 
long  home.  The  crisis  of  the  disease  was  thought  to  have  been 
reached  early  in  September,  and  for  a  time  the  prospect  of  his 
recovery  was  encouraging ;  but  a  relapse  occurred,  and  with 
occasional  intervals  of  seeming  improvement,  which  kept  up 


11 

the  hopes  of  his  friends,  he  continned  to  decline,  until  he  calmly 
fell  asleep  in  Jesns,  about  11  A.M.,  on  tlie  28th  of  October. 

From  an  earlj  period  of  his  illness,  which  so  quickly  put  on 
a  serious  aspect,  Dr.  Polhenius  was  impressed  with  the  feeling, 
that  his  work  on  earth  was  done,  and  that  his  sickness  would 
be  unto  death.  This  was  the  view  of  his  case  which  he  habit- 
ually took,  though  at  times,  as  the  symptoms  improved,  he 
would  speak  of  getting  better,  and,  no  doubt,  had  occasional 
liopes  of  recovery.  On  one  occasion  he  expressed  himself  that 
the  sickness  was  a  discipline.  Yiewing  it  as  such,  he  accepted 
it  in  a  meek  and  filial  temper,  with  the  earnest  prayer,  and  the 
confident  assurance  that,  if  raised  up,  he  might  be  a  more  zeal- 
ous and  devoted  pastor.  At  another  time,  referring  to  the 
dealings  of  his  heavenly  Fathejr,  he  said:  "God  has  made  me 
to  know  more  of  myself,  then  I  ever  knew  before.  I  have  had 
many  precious  views  of  my  Saviour  on  this  bed,  and  I  thank  Him 
for  it.  I  can  commit  all  into  His  hands,  and  know  no  will  but  His. 
Oh  !  that  I  had  been  a  more  faithful  minister  of  Christ !  But 
it  is  not  by  worksof  righteousness  which  we  have  done,  but  by 
tlie  precious  blood  of  Jesus,  that  we  are  saved."  At  another 
time  he  said  :  "  Blessed  God !  if  thou  hast  more  work  for  me 
to  do,  raise  me  up  and  let  me  glorify  thee.  If  my  work  is 
done,  let  me,  like  Stephen,  see  Thee  standing  on  the  right  hand 
of  God.  There  I  shall  join  dear  friends  that  have  gone  before, 
and  be  joined  by  dear  ones  I  now  leave  behind,  loving  and 
praising  the  precious  Saviour.  Blessed  union  !  the  Church 
on  earth  and  the  Church  in  heaven  are  one."  The  sermon  on 
the  Death  of  Stephen  was  one  of  the  latest  preached  by  him, 
before  he  was  taken  ill,  and  it  was  very  evident  that  the  sub- 
ject was  one  which  had  deeply  impressed  his  own  heart.  At 
an  early  period  of  the  disease,  when  a  fatal  termination  was 
first  apprehended,  he  prayed :  "  If  my  work  is  done,  let  me, 
like  Stephen,  see  Thee  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God.'" 
We  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  his  prayer  was  answered. 

The  interest  manifested  for  him  by  the  religious  community  of 


12 

Newark  generally,  and  the  many  tokens  he  received  of  the  warm 
sympathy  and  love  of  his  own  people,  very  sensibly  affected 
him.  Kepeatedly  he  said  to  liis  brother-in-law,  Dr.  Forsyth  : 
"  I  wish  I  could  tell  them  how  much  I  love  them."  Once, 
when  speaking  of  his  own  people,  he  said  :  "  Those  are  good, 
noble  men.  That  church  will  be  blessed,  whoever  may  be 
called  to  preach  to  them.  If  I  never  preach  in  that  new 
church,  yet  there  is  another  church  built  for  God's  worship, 
and  some  of  God's  servants  will  preach  in  it.  Souls  will  be 
converted,  and  I  shall  rejoice  over  them  in  heaven." 

During  his  long  sickness  that  gracious  promise  was  fulfilled 
to  him  :  "  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  wliose  mind  is 
staid  on  Thee."  "I  am,"  said  he,  "waiting  and  willing  to 
do  the  will  of  my  heavenly  Father.  ISTot  a  thing  on  earth 
troubles  me.  I  have  committed  all  into  his  hands,  and  only 
wait  his  will."  He  had  many  ties  to  bind  him  to  earth,  and 
for  the  sake  of  his  newly  formed  church,  of  his  dear  partner, 
and  their  beloved  children,  several  of  whom  were  of  too  tender 
an  age  to  appreciate  the  loss  of  a  father,  he  doubtless  desired 
to  live,  yet  for  himself  he  found  that  it  was  better  to  depart, 
and  to  be  with  Christ.  Only  once,  some  two  days  before  his 
decease,  was  the  sunshine  of  his  soul  obscured,  and  then  only 
for  a  moment. 

After  a  very  bad  night,  in  the  course  of  which  lie  at  one 
time  thought  he  was  dying,  but  afterwards  had  a  refreshing: 
sleep  of  some  hours,  he  said :  "  I  feel  as  if  I  were  better." 
Waiting  a  moment  he  added  :  "  Is  it  not  strange  that  one  so 
low  as  I  was  last  night,  should,  after  that,  hope  to  get  well  again  ? 
I  do  not  know  that  I  ought  to  say  liope^  for  it  is  better  to  depart 
and  be  with  Christ."  After  a  short  pause  he  added  :  "  Oh !  that 
I  had  been  more  faithful  as  a  minister  of  Christ."  One  of  those 
present  said:  "  You  must  only  look  to  the  righteousness  of  the 
Saviour  as  the  ground  of  hope."  "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  but  God 
says,  Give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship."    Then,  waiting  a 


13 

moment,  he  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  joy  :  "  Behold,  O  God !  my 
sliield,  look  upon  me  in  the  face  of  thine  Anointed." 

At  another  time,  addressing  one  dear  to  him,  he  said :  "  I 
am  going  to  the  mansion  of  my  Father,  and  there  is  a  house 
prepared  there  for  you,  and  you  will  come  too."  On  being 
asked,  "How  can  we  spare  you?  How  can  we  do  without 
you?"  he  replied,  with  a  pleasant  smile:  "Oh!  God  will 
far  more  than  fill  up  my  place.  I  have  a  hope.  It  is  like  an 
anchor  to  my  soul.  Is  not  this  better  than  all  else  ?  Is  not 
this  better  than  all  the  world  ?  Is  ^t  not  f  Yes,  the  world 
can  never  take  it  away." 

When  in  pain,  he  said:  "Father,  O  holy  Father!  let  this 
cup  pass  from  me  if  it  be  possible  ;  nevertheless,  not  my  will 
but  thine  be  done.  Lord  Jesus,  take  me  to  Thyself.  Receive 
my  spirit:  do  not  keep  me  here.  Hinder  me  not;  I  long 
to  go." 

On  being  told  he  appeared  easier,  he  said  :  "  "Well,  but  I 
had  longed  to  go  over  and  see  that  good  land,  that  goodly 
mountain  and  Lebanon.  To  depart  and  be  with  Christ  is  far 
])etter.  I  would  be  absent  from  the  body,  and  present  with 
the  Lord." 

There  was  hardly  a  time  during  his  protracted  illness  when 
lie  was  free  from  pain.  When  upon  the  bed  he  was  obliged 
to  lie  constantly  upon  his  back.  Frequently  his  sufferings 
were  intense.  During  one  of  these  paroxysms,  he  said :  "  Oh ! 
the  fellowship  of  His  sufferings.  'Now  I  know  what  this 
means.  N^ow  I  taste  the  bitterness  of  His  soul.  Who  is  it 
that  says :  '  The  fellowship  of  his  sufferings  f  Paul  the 
apostle.  Oh  I  I  would  love  to  give  to  my  people  the  expe- 
rience I  have  gained  on  this  bed.  I  could  preach  it  to  them." 
He  then  repeated  the  words :  "  Who  shall  separate  us  from 
the  love  of  Christ  ?" 

About  3  A.M.  of  the  day  on  which  he  died,  and  when  it 
had  become  evident  that  the  hand  of  death  was  upon  him,  he 
exclaimed  :  "  I  see  Jesus,    l^ow  that  I  have  seen  him,  I  never 


14 

can  come  back  again.  I  see  Jesus.  Did  I  not  tell  you  that  I 
should  see  Jesus?  My  soul  is  ravished  with  the  sight."  Not 
long  after  he  added  :  "  I  have  a  perfect  assurance,  not  a  doubt 
nor  a  fear." 

During  the  whole  period  of  Dr.  Polhemus'  sickness,  prayer 
was  made  for  him  without  ceasing,  at  the  family  altar,  at  as- 
semblies of  his  own  flock  convened  for  this  express  purpose,  and 
by  the  fathers  and  brethren  in  the  General  Synod,  which  held  a 
special  meeting  at  Newark,  in  October.  But  they  availed  not 
in  arresting  his  disease.  Though  in  the  full  vigor  of  a  noble 
manhood,  though  he  had  just  entered  upon  a  new  and  import- 
ant sphere  of  labor,  one  for  which  he  seemed  to  be  particularly 
fitted,  his  work  was  done,  and  his  sun  went  down  while  it  was 
yet  noon.  It  is  one  of  those  providences,  which  to  our  short- 
sightedness appear  to  be  exceeding  strange.  And  yet  our 
Divine  Master  may  have  made,  and,  we  trust,  did  make,  the 
death  of  this  devoted  servant  of  Christ  the  means  of  accom- 
plishing more  good  than  would  have  been  eflected,  had  he 
been  spared  for  years.  His  removal,  we  believe,  has  told  upon 
thousands  in  the  city  to  Avhich  he  had  so  lately  come,  and 
whom  he  never  might  have  reached  with  the  living  voice ; 
and  in  regard  to  the  whole  community  of  Newark,  it  may  in 
this  sense  be  true,  that  "  he  being  dead  yet  speaketh." 

Tlie  funeral  services  at  Newburgh,  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
29th  October  Avere  conducted  by  the  Kev.  Drs.  McLaren 
and  McCarroll  of  that  place,  and  the  Eev.  Mr.  Suydam  of 
Fishkill  Landing,  and  were  attended  by  many  of  Dr.  Polhe- 
mus' old  parishioners  of  Hopewell.  The  body  was  then  con- 
veyed to  Newark,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  30th,  the  more 
formal  funeral  services  were  held  in  the  First  Eeformed  Dutch 
Church,  which  was  crowded  in  every  part  by  a  multitude  of 
mourners,  including  a  large  number  of  his  clerical  brethren. 
There,  where  a  few  months  before,  he  had  stood,  the  image  of 
liealth  and  vigor,  to  assume  the  responsibilities  and  make  the 
promises  of  a  pastor,  on  that  very  spot  his  coffined  remains 


15 


were  placed.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Kev.  Dr. 
De  Witt  of  New-York,  from  John  17 :  4.  The  devotional  ser- 
vices were  conducted  by  Drs.  Scott,  Stearns,  and  Kip  of 
Fishkill.  Tlie  body  was  then  conveyed  to  the  cemetery  on  the 
banks  of  the  Passaic.  There  the  precious  remains  of  our  dear 
pastor  sleep  in  Jesus  in  the  sure  hope  of  a  glorious  resurrec- 
tion. 

Dr.  Polhemus  was  a  man,  whose  unpretending  dignity 
and  genial  manners  could  not  fail  to  make  a  favorable  im- 
pression upon  all  who  were  brought  into  contact  with  him. 
The  casual  acquaintance  would  have  discovered  no  reason  to 
modify  his  first  estimate  of  his  character,  however  intimate 
with  him  he  might  subsequently  have  become.  The  traits 
that  struck  a  stranger  upon  a  first  interview,  and  which  would 
not  fail  to  win  his  regard,  were  not  put  on  for  the  occasion, 
but  were  really  characteristic  of  the  man.  Hence  the  strocg 
personal  attachment  which  he  won  for  himself,  not  only  from 
his  own  people,  but  the  whole  community  in  the  midst  of 
which  he  lived.  "  It  would  be  impossible,"  says  the  Eev.  Mr. 
Cobb,  his  successor  at  Hopewell,  "  almost  to  over-estimate  the 
'extent  of  the  attachment  felt  for  him,  not  only  by  his  own  im- 
mediate charge,  but  throughout  the  whole  community ;  and 
his  death  seemed  like  a  household  affliction  to  all  that  enjoyed 
his  friendship  while  here.  Each  one  has  some  precious  remi- 
niscence of  '  the  Dominie,'  and  the  evidences  of  his  kindness, 
his  cordiality,  his  attention  to  the  poor,  his  devotion  to  the  sick, 
are  everywhere  apparent.  His  urbanity  of  manners  exerted  a 
most  remarkable  power,  winning  the  esteem  and  afifection  of 
every  class  of  persons,  and  I  frequently  hear  those  in  humble 
life,  speak  with  pride  of  his  affability  to  them  and  his  interest 
in  their  affairs."  So  it  was  in  Newark.  Though  a  resident 
here  only  for  a  few  months,  and  the  pastor  of  an  infant  church, 
he  had  many  ardent  friends,  and  few  have  so  strongly  im- 
pressed this  community  in  so  brief  a  period. 

Dr.  Polhemus,  though  neither  bashful  nor  timid,  was  a  man 


16 

of  unaifected  modesty,  lie  esteemed  others  better  than  him- 
self; yet,  when  called  to  the  performance  of  a  public  duty,  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  go  forward,  and  the  manner  in  which  he 
discharged  the  duty  was  in  the  highest  degree  creditable.  We 
might  refer,  in  illustration  of  this  remark,  to  his  Address 
before  the  Alumni  of  Eutgei"s  College,  which  was  one  of  the 
most  acceptable  and  useful  ever  delivered  before  that  body ; 
and  to  his  speech  before  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  in  1856,  as  the  representative  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church.  Indeed  his  sound  judgment,  his  energetic 
zeal,  combined  as  they  were  with  perfect  frankness,  and  cor- 
dial manners,  eminently  fitted  him  to  take  a  large  share  in  the 
public  business  of  the  Church. 

He  was  a  true  son  of  the  Dutch  Church.  Born  and  bred  in 
lier  communion,  he  loved  her  principles,  her  polity,  her  dis- 
tinctive usages,  and  ever  felt  the  warmest  interest  in  all  that 
concerned  her  welfare.  He  was  ever  ready  for  any  effort  to 
build  up  her  institutions  and  to  enlarge  her  limits.  After  his 
election  as  a  Trustee  of  Rutgers  College,  he  was  rarely  absent 
from  the  meetings  of  the  Board,  and  with  equal  cheerfulness 
and  efficiency,  performed  every  service  that  was  laid  upon 
him.  At  the  same  time  he  loved  the  whole  household  of  faith, 
and  was  at  the  furthest  remove  from  the  narrow-minded  secta- 
rian. 

As  a  preacher  and  pastor,  he  sought  to  commend  himself  to 
every  man's  conscience,  making  known  to  his  hearers  the 
whole  counsel  of  God,  keeping  nothing  back  that  would  be 
profitable  unto  them.  He  loved  to  hear  and  he  loved  to 
preach  that  good  old  Gospel  whose  sum  and  substance  is 
Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  made  of  God  unto  us  wisdom,  right- 
eousness, sanctification,  and  redemption.  His  sermons  were 
marked  by  solid  sense  and  sound  divinity  ;  they  were  clear 
and  concise  in  style,  scriptural  in  substance,  scriptural  in  form, 
showing  him  to  be  a  well  furnished  workman.     He  had  the 


It 

clearest  view  of  the  doctrines  of  grace  and  of  the  scriptural 
grounds  on  which  they  rest. 

He  needs  no  eulogy.  The  fact  that  he  closed  a  ministry  of 
twenty-one  years  with  every  heart  warmly  attached  to  him,  and 
that  in  his  brief  ministry  of  but  a  few  months,  he  won  the  warm 
regard  of  his  own  people,  and  the  respect  and  admiration  of 
the  large  community  to  which  he  came  a  stranger,  is  a  com- 
mentary on  his  worth  more  forcible  than  words. 

The  connection  of  Dr.  P.  with  the  North  Dutch  Church  at 
Kewark,  was  of  a  peculiar  and  marked  character.  In  common 
with  the  friends  of  the  denomination  generally,  he  was  early 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  establishing  another  Dutch 
church  in  this  rapidly  growing  city,  and  when  the  enterprise 
had  not  yet  assumed  form  or  shape,  he  consented  to  preach 
several  times  for  those  who  had  established  a  stated  service, 
which  they  trusted  might  prove  to  be  the  embryo  of  a  church. 
The  ardent  desire,  the  fond  hope  at  once  took  possession  of  all 
interested,  that  he  would  yet  become  their  pastor  ;  and  this  un- 
authorized anticipation  seemed  to  give  new  energy  to  the  pro- 
ject. A  site  for  a  church  edifice  on  the  main  thoroughfare, 
fronting  one  of  the  beautiful  parks  of  the  city,  in  value  not 
less  than  fourteen  thousand  dollars,  was  by  the  liberality  of 
the  friends  of  the  cause  in  Newark,  speedily  given  to  the  en- 
terprise, free  from  debt.  It  then  appeared  to  be  a  possible 
thing  to  effect  the  desired  purpose.  A  church  was  organized. 
No  other  than  Dr.  Polhemus  was,  or  had  been  thought  of  as 
their  pastor.  A  unanimous  call  was  presented  to  him.  This 
infant  church  knew  the  sacrifice  they  were  asking  him  to  make, 
and  how  dear  to  each  of  their  hearts  his  memory  is,  and  ever 
will  be,  that  he  made  that  sacrifice  for  his  Master  and  for 
them. 

The  congregation,  when  the  call  was  accepted,  had  contem- 
plated nothing  more  for  two  years  to  come,  than  the  erection 
of  a  suitable  lecture-room ;  but  such  was  the  energy  given  to 
the  work  by  his  accepting  their  call,  that  they  immediately  de- 


18 

termined  on  the  erection  of  a  church  edifice,  at  an  expense  of 
forty  thousand  dollars — and  twenty  thousand  dollars  of  that 
sum  was  forthwith  subscribed. 

Dr.  P.  and  his  family  were  received  at  their  new  home  with 
the  warmest  affection  and  with  every  mark  of  attention.  His 
ministry  among  this  people — so  short,  and  yet  so  long  to  be 
remembered — so  afflicting  in  its  termination,  and  yet  so  mo- 
mentous in  its  results,  continued  but  little  more  than  three 
months.  During  that  period  the  spacious  hall  in  which  the 
congregation  worshipped  was  always  well  filled,  and  that  too, 
with  most  attentive  hearers ;  his  clear  scriptural  style,  com- 
pressing much  well-ordered  truth  in  tlie  fewest  words,  his  sin- 
cerity, manifested  by  an  energy  of  expression  and  manner,  often 
thrilling,  together  with  a  certain  unpretending  majesty  of 
presence,  fastened  the  attention  of  his  auditory.  The  members 
of  his  own  congregation  during  the  perplexities  and  cares  of 
the  business  of  the  week,  looked  forward  with  pleasing  antici- 
pations to  the  services  of  the  Sabbath  to  be  fed  and  refreshed 
by  spiritual  food ;  and  the  members  of  other  denominations 
feeling  a  security  offered  in  his  catholic  spirit,  often  waited 
upon  his  ministrations,  and  heard  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
The  clergy  of  the  city  greeted  him  as  a  brother,  and  cherish 
his  memory  with  a  high  regard. 

During  his  brief  pastorate  in  ISTewark,  he  found  his  way  to 
the  garret  and  to  the  cellar — to  the  home  of  the  mechanic  and 
the  residence  of  the  ricii.  In  conversation  with  the  young  and 
the  old,  he  pressed  the  momentous  importance  of  an  interest 
in  Christ ;  and  since  his  departure,  truly  affecting  has  it  been 
to  the  officers  of  his  bereaved  church  to  hear  those  who  come 
to  profess  their  faith  in  a  crucified  Eedeemer,  trace  their  first 
impressions  to  the  words  of  him  who  is  now  in  heaven. 

Perhaps  his  people,  in  the  freshness  of  their  love,  doted  on 
him  too  much  ;  and  yet  they  plead  the  cordiality  of  his  nature, 
the  peculiar  beauty  of  his  piety,  his  freedom  from  self-aggran- 
dizement and  self-promotion,  his  frankness,  liis  manly  tender- 


19' 

ness,  liis  devotion  to  their  best  and  highest  interests  as  some 
mitigation  of  their  error. 

Kever  perhaps  did  a  new  church  proceed  with  more  ap- 
parent prosperity  than  the  North  Dutch  Church  of  l!^ewark. 
Every  thing  was  as  they  would  have  desired,  until  suddenly 
in  the  month  of  August  the  tidings  came  that  the  life  of  their 
pastor  was  in  peril.  Then  they  felt  what  before  they  had  not 
contemplated,  that  the  pastor  they  loved  so  much — whom 
perhaps  they  were  proud  to  call  theirs,  might  be  taken  from 
them.  They  felt  their  weakness.  They  cried  to  God  for 
help. 

The  closet,  the  family  altar,  the  meetings  of  special  prayer, 
can  bear  witness  to  the  fervency  of  their  supplications.  For 
the  two  months  of  Dr.  P.'s  illness,  the  infant  church,  amid 
light  and  shadow,  hope  and  fear,  passed  a  severe  and  salutary 
discipline.  Those  prayers  were  not  answered  in  the  manner 
they  desired. 

But  when  we  remember  his  triumphant  departure,  his  price- 
less testimony  to  our  faith,  the  solemnity  his  death  produced  on 
the  brethren  of  his  Church  in  the  city  of  New- York  and  on  the 
clergy  of  Newark,  just  when  God  was  about  to  shed  abroad 
the  influences  of  the  Spirit ;  when  we  remember  the  greater 
devotion  induced  in  his  own  church,  who  will  say  those 
prayers  were  not  answered?  What  we  know  not  now,  we 
'  shall  know  hereafter. 

The  remains  of  Dr.  Polbemus  were  brought  to  Newark, 
where  a  most  impressive  discourse  was  delivered  by  the  Eev. 
Dr.  Thomas  De  Witt.  It  was  a  day  of  sorrow  to  the  city,  and 
one  which  will  be  long  remembered.  In  the  latter  part  of 
April,  his  remains  were  removed  from  the  vault,  where  thev 
had  been  temporarily  placed,  to  a  lot  selected  by  his  church 
on  the  banks  of  the  Passaic.  It  was  a  beautiful  spring  morn- 
ing, the  air  was  balmy,  the  birds  vocal,  and  the  peaceful  river 
never  was  more  placid.  There  was  the  open  grave  and  the 
coffin,  beside  it  stood  the  brother,  the  two  little  sons  and  the 


20 

faithful  servant-man  of  the  departed.  His  Consistory  stood 
around  the  place  of  burial,  submissive  to  God's  will,  but 
stirred  with  unspoken  sorrow.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Scott  raised  his 
voice  to  heaven  in  the  fervent  prayer  of  faith  :  all  seemed  to 
commune  with  God.  Then  he,  for  whom  we  mourned,  was 
carefully  placed  in  that  new  tomb,  there  to  rest  until  the  morn- 
ing of  the  resurrection.  Four  weeks  from  that  day,  the  con- 
sistory of  our  sister  church  gathered  at  eventide  around  the 
death-coucli  of  him,  who  on  the  beautiful  morning  led  our 
sorrowing  thoughts  to  the  throne  of  all  grace.  How  mysteri- 
ous !  how  impressive  are  God's  ways  !  The  congregation  who 
were  so  full  of  sympathy  for  our  infant  church  in  its  grief,  are 
alike  desolate.  The  community  in  which  both  walked,  radiat- 
ing the  warmth  of  Christian  love,  have  a  new  sorrow.  The 
children  of  him  who  spoke  words  of  tenderness  to  the  orphan 
boys  at  their  father's  grave,  are  now  also  orphans.  When 
Abraham  Polhemus  and  James  Scott  died,  humanity  suffered 
loss.  "When  they  fell,  a  chasm  was  made  amid  the  cedars  of 
Lebanon,  not  soon  to  close. 

"  And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying  unto  me,  write. 
Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth  : 
Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors  :  And 
their  works  do  follow  them." 


21 


RESOLUTIONS  OF  DR.  POLHEMUS'  CONSISTORY  AT  NEWARK. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Consistory  of  The  North  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  of  the  city  of  Newark,  held  November  13th,  1857,  it  was 

Besolvedy  That  in  the  death  of  the  Rev.  A.  Polhemus,  D.D.,  we 
recognize  and  bow  beneath  the  chastening  hand  of  our  Heavenly 
Father.  Called  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  our  infant  Church  to 
be  our  first  pastor,  his  virtues,  his  talents,  his  piety,  and  his  labors 
have  made  him  very  dear  to  our  hearts.  Furnished  for  his  work, 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  his  Master,  he  was  a  workman  that  needed 
not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth.  Frank, 
intelligent,  and  disinterested,  his  intercourse  would  win  the  heart. 
In  his  tongue  was  the  law  of  kindness.  Stricken,  and  bereaved  as 
we  are  by  this  afflicting  dispensation,  we  thank  our  Father  that  we 
have  been  permitted  to  have  such  a  pastor.  His  memory  is  a  rich 
legacy :  his  short  ministry  will  not  be  forgotten.  While  we  sorrow 
that  we  shall  here  see  his  face  no  more,  we  rejoice  in  the  precious 
consolations  which  were  vouchsafed  to  him  when  the  hour  of  his 
departure  was  at  hand.  We  will  strive  to  profit  by  the  words 
that  he  spake  unto  us,  and  follow  him  as  he  followed  Christ. 

In  our  deep  bereavement,  we  ask  the  prayers  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  that  we  may  know  and  do  our  Father's  will,  and  that  his 
blessing  may  abide  upon  the  enterprise  so  dear  to  our  pastor's 
heart. 

Resolved^  That  we  feel  and  appreciate  the  Christian  kindness  of 
the  church  at  Hopewell  in  extending  to  us  their  sympathy  in  this 
the  time  of  our  common  sorrow.  Our  pastor  while  with  us,  sought 
for  them  our  prayers  ;  and  now  while  we  mingle  our  tears,  it  is  a 
grateful  reflection  that  our  supplications  for  each  other's  welfare 
may  ascend  together  to  Heaven. 

Resolved^  That  we  extend  to  the  bereaved  family  our  warmest 
sympathy.  Their  happiness  and  welfare  will  continue  to  be  a 
matter  of  our  deepest  solicitude  and  care  ;  and  we  thank  God  for 


22 

those  precious  promises  -wliicli  belong  to  the  widow  and  the 
fatherless. 

Mesolved,  That  if,  in  God's  Providence,  we  are  permitted  to 
complete  the  edifice,  so  far  advanced  under  the  pastoral  care  of 
him  we  mourn,  we  will  insert  within  its  walls  a  tablet  to  his 
memory,  evidencing  to  coming  generations  the  memorial  of  him 
within  our  hearts ;  but  he  has  a  better  tablet ;  his  record  is  on 
high. 

Hesolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  forwarded  to  the 
family  of  our  pastor,  and  to  the  consistory  of  the  church  of  Hope- 
well, and  be  duly  published  in  the  Christian  Intelligencer. 

T.  A.  Waldkox,  President  ^ro  tern. 

J.  C.  "Woodruff,  Secretary. 


RESOLUTIONS  OF  THE  CONSISTORY  OF  HOPEWELL 

Inasmuch  as  it  hath  pleased  God  in  his  mysterious  providence, 
to  remove  by  death  the  late  beloved  pastor  of  this  church,  Rev. 
A.  Polhamus,  D,D.,  we  deem  it  fitting  in  the  few  following  reso- 
lutions, to  give  some  suitable  expression  to  our  feelings  in  view  of 
this  sad  event. 

Jiesolved,  That  although  he  had  removed  from  among  us  to 
another  field  of  labor,  yet  his  long  continued  ministry  in  this 
church,  and  his  noble,  manly,  and  Christian  character,  had  so  deeply 
endeared  him  to  us,  that  we  mourn  his  loss  as  that  of  a  well-tried 
and  valued  friend,  cherish  his  memory  as  that  of  a  truly  fiiithful 
pastor ;  and  as  the  best  proof  of  our  afiection,  will  seek  to  re- 
member the  words  he  spake  while  yet  with  us,  and  to  profit  by  his 
precepts  and  example. 

Hesolved,  That  while  we  are  deeply  grieved  by  this  dispensa- 
tion, we  recognize  therein  the  hand  of  our  Father,  and  humbly 
bow  to  the  will  of  Him  who  docth  all  things  well ;  and  would 


23 

also  offer  our  grateful  acknowledgment  of  that  grace  which  sus- 
tained our  departed  friend  through  his  painful  illness,  and  ren- 
dered the  closing  hours  of  his  life  not  only  peaceful  but  triumphant. 

Hesolved,  That  while  we  know  theirs  to  be  a  grief  with  which 
a  stranger  may  not  intermeddle,  and  God  only  can  assuage,  we 
tender  to  his  bereaved  family  our  deepest  sympathies,  commend- 
ing them  to  the  widow's  Friend,  and  the  Father  of  the  fatherless ; 
and  bringing  them  by  the  prayer  of  faith  to  that  loving  Jesus,  who 
so  clearly  manifested  himself  to  him  for  wljom  they  mourn,  even 
in  the  bitterness  of  death. 

Hesolved,  That  we  tenderly  sympathize  with  the  infant  church 
so  suddenly  and  severely  afflicted  by  the  loss  of  a  pastor  whose  la- 
bors among  them  God  had  already  blessed,  commending  them 
with  all  their  interests  to  the  kind  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  our  souls. 

Hesolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  preserved  in  the  records  of 
the  Church,  and  also  published  in  the  Christian  Ititelligencer  ;  and 
that  copies  be  transmitted  to  the  family  of  our  former  pastor,  and 
to  the  Consistory  of  the  North  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  Newark. " 


24 


A  TRIBUTE 

TO  THE  LATE  REV.  ABRAHAM  POLHEMUS,  D.D. 

Earth  was  matured  to  beauty.     Autumn's  sun 

Lay  dreamily  o'er  forest,  field,  and  bower, 
As  if,  his  growing,  ripening  work  all  done, 

He  rested  on  his  laurels  for  the  hour. 
The  hills  grow  misty  in  the  mellowing  light, 

And  to  the  ear,  the  farewell  song  of  bird 
Comes  softly,  as  he  wings  his  southern  flight ; 

Fainter,  the  hum  of  insect  life  is  heard ; 
Each  tree,  each  leaf,  a  rainbow  glory  wears. 

Mature  in  loveliness — oh !  do  not  say. 
Untimely  frost  this  hectic  beauty  bears, 

Blinding  his  victim  to  a  quick  decay. 
The  leaf  is  ripe — it  gave  refreshing  shade 

To  faint  and  weary  from  the  summer  sun  ; 
A  thing  all  grateful  to  the  eye  'twas  made, 

But  now  it  fades  and  falls — its  work  is  done. 

And  one  we  loved,  oh !  who  can  say  how  well  ? 

Through  all  those  lovely,  golden  autumn  hours, 
Lay  ripening  for  the  land  where  angels  dwell. 

Fading,  fast  fading,  with  the  autumn  flowers. 
The  glowing  strength  of  his  meridian  years, 

The  manly  vigor  of  his  glorious  prime, 
The  brow  whereon  no  furrow  yet  appears, 

The  locks  which  show  no  silver  trace  of  time. 
The  wealth  of  clustering  love  that  girts  his  way, 

"  The  living  jewels  of  his  Christian  home," 
The  fervent  hopes  wherewith  God's  people  pray — 

All  seem  to  say.  His  hour  is  not  yet  come. 
But  sickness  brought  him  days  of  weariness  : 

Like  autumn  leaf  he  ripened,  brighter  grew. 
And  lovelier  in  every  Christian  grace. 

So  none  could  doubt  the  fount  from  whence  he  drew. 
And  thus  he  brightened,  thus  he  faded,  till 

The  winds  and  rains  of  later  autumn  swept 
The  withered,  falling  leaves  away  at  will ; 

And  then  the  weary,  wasted  body  slept — 


25 


"  For  so  He  giveth  his  beloved  sleep," 
And  holy  radiance,  the  brow  to  grace. 
With  a  meek  trustfulness,  so  sweet,  so  deep ! 
It  wore  an  angel  look,  that  sleeper's  face. 

Oh !  what  a  death !     The  pearly  gates  unfold, 

Ere  the  departing  spirit  leaves  the  clay ; 
Jesus,  at  God's  right  hand,  his  eyes  behold  ; 

His  soul,  all  ravished,  would  no  longer  stay  ! 
Call  not  such  triumph  an  untimely  death  ; 

His  work  was  done,  his  soul  was  ripe  for  heaven. 
And  God  was  honored  with  his  latest  breath. 

The  God  to  whom  his  life,  his  all,  were  given. 
And  his  had  been  a  noble  life,  so  fraught 

With  kindness,  so  replete  with  acts  of  love. 
They  seemed  the  burden  of  his  daily  thought : 

Thus  walked  he  in  the  light  sent  from  above  ; 
So  firm  in  purpose,  fearless  in  the  right. 

He  shunned  not  all  God's  counsel  to  declare  ; 
The  darkened  soul  he  guided  to  the  light, 

The  weakest  ever  won  his  watchful  care — 
A  life  without  reproach,  and  crowned  by  love. 

A  mother  weeps  the  son  who's  "  gone  before," 
The  smitten  household  daily  sorrow  prove, 

A  brother  mourns  for  him  he  sees  no  more. 
But  why  sum  up  ?    Th'  ambassador  of  Christ, 

Loved  for  his  Master's  sake,  and  for  his  own, 
Leaves  fragrant  memories,  of  many  years. 

That  with  his  useful,  honored  life  have  grown. 
Few  men  so  large  a  share  of  love  have  won ; 

Few,  when  they  die,  create  so  wide  a  grief; 
Few  leave  so  great  a  blank,  as  he  has  done, 

Who  faded  with  the  fading  of  the  leaf. 

Turn  we  to  yonder  clime  of  cloudless  light, 

Where  the  redeemed  their  crowns  of  glory  wear. 
Their  palms  of  victory,  their  robes  of  white. 

And  Icnow  he  lives  with  Christ  forever  there ; 
Enow  that  he  shines  a  jewel  in  His  crown. 

Know  that  the  songs  of  triumph  louder  swell ; 
Then,  let  us  lay  each  selfish  murmur  down. 

Then,  let  the  grieved  heart  answer,  IT  IS  WELL. 

Theta. 
Hopewell,  Bee.  \hth,  1S57. 


I 


FUNERAL  DISCOURSE 

ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

REV^.  DR.   POLHEMTJS. 

DELIVERED  BEFORE  HIS  CHURCH, 

AT    THEIR    REQUEST, 

BY 
REV.     JOHN     FORSYTH,      D.D. 

November.  1857. 


rUNEEAL  DISCOUKSE. 


"  So  Moses  the  servant  of  the  Lord  died  there  in  the  land  of  Moab,  according  to 
the  word  of  the  Lord. — Deut.  34  :  5. 

Such  is  the  brief  notice  of  the  death  of  one  whose  name  is 
among  the  most  illustrious  in  the  annals  of  our  race.  The  life 
of  Moses  forms  one  of  the  great  epochs  in  the  world's  history. 
As  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  he  redeemed  the  Hebrew  people 
from  bondage  ;  he  was  thus  lawgiver,  leader,  and  king ;  and 
he  was  the  chosen  instrument  of  God  to  give  a  new,  visible 
organization  to  the  Church.  No  mere  man  ever  enjoyed,  here 
on  earth,  divine  fellowship  in  degree  and  manner,  such  as  did 
Moses  ;  no  mere  man  was  ever  favored  with  such  displays  of 
the  divine  glory,  as  were  made  to  him  ;  and  no  other  servant 
of  the  Lord  could  say  what  Moses  did  :  "  A  prophet  shall  the 
Lord  your  God  raise  up  like  unto  meP  The  offices  he  filled 
were  alike  various  and  exalted.  He  was  the  inspired  historian, 
poet,  lawgiver,  king  in  Jeshurun,  founder  of  a  religious  econo- 
my, sole  ruler  in  the  house  of  God,  interpreter  of  the  divine 
will  to  his  own  brethren,  and  to  all  coming  ages.  His  gifts  and 
graces  were  not  less  remarkable  and  rare.  He  was  not  with- 
out sin ;  he  had  his  frailties,  for  which  he  suffered ;  yet  his 
character  is  a  brilliant  constellation  of  virtues — strong  faith, 
exemplary  meekness,  unswerving  faithfulness,  undaunted  cour- 
age, unsurpassed  generosity,  and  entire  devotion  to  the  cause 
of  God.  After  enduring  the  toils  and  trials  incident  to  his 
high  position  for  half  a  century,  after  he  had  seen  one  whole 


30 

generation  laid  in  the  dust,  and  the  children  filling  the  places 
of  their  fathers — venerable  alike  for  his  years,  his  virtues,  and 
his  services — he  retires,  at  the  command  of  the  Lord,  from  his 
elevated  post.  He  quits  it,  however,  not  because  he  was  un 
equal  to  the  duties,  or  was  weary  of  his  work  ;  his  eye  was  not 
dim,  his  natural  force  was  unabated ;  he  goes  because  such 
was  the  will  of  Ilim  whose  servant  he  was,  and  because  his 
work  was  done.  At  the  command  of  the  Lord,  he  goes  away 
to  the  top  of  Pisgali,  all  alone,  unattended  unless  by  minister- 
ing spirits,  to  get  one  view  of  the  goodly  land  of  promise,  and 
then  to  die,  leaving  behind  him  a  glorious  example  and  a 
deathless  name. 

"  So,"  that  is,  in  the  place,  at  the  time,  under  the  circum 
stances  narrated  in  this  chapter  ;  "  So  Moses  died  according  to 
the  word  of  the  Lord."  I  have  selected  this  short  yet  striking 
account  of  Moses'  death,  because  it  suggests  lessons  which  we 
should  be  daily  learning,  and  of  which  we  are  so  impressively 
reminded  by  the  removal  of  your  beloved  brother,  friend,  and 
pastor.     We  learn 

I.  That  the  servants  of  Christ  cease  from  their  earthly  labors 
and  leave  this  world  at  the  time  and  under  the  circumstances 
fixed  by  their  Lord  and  Master. 

It  is  appointed  unto  all  men  once  to  die.  "  Sin  entered  into 
the  world,  and  death  by  sin,  and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men, 
for  that  all  have  sinned."  The  dark  sceptre  of  this  dread 
monarch  extends  over  every  land  and  every  generation.  Nei- 
ther elevated  station,  nor  imperial  power,  nor  princely  wealth, 
nor  laborious  benevolence  can  exempt  any  from  the  stroke  of 
death.  Neither  the  precautions  of  prudence,  nor  the  skill  of 
science,  nor  the  tears  of  afi'ection,  nor  the  prayers  of  piety, 
can  prevent  the  blow,  or  even  defer  the  fatal  hour.  "  Who  is 
he  that  liveth  and  shall  not  see  death  ?"  "  We  see  that  wise 
men  die,  also  the  fool  and  brutish  person  perish."  The  pri- 
soner in  his  dungeon,  the  peasant  in  his  Imt,  the  monarch  in 


31 

his  palace,  the  priest  at  the  altar,  all  stand  in  this  respect  on  a 
level.  Among  the  countless  millions  of  human  beings  who 
have  lived  on  earth,  only  two  have  been  excepted  from  that 
great  law  of  dissolution,  "  Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt 
thou  return."  Even  these  two  cases  of  Enoch  and  Elijah 
were  rather  apparent  than  real  exceptions — their  bodies  un- 
dergoing a  change  equivalent  to  death,  since  "  flesh  and  blood 
can  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

While  the  stroke  of  death  is  thus  inevitable,  while  the  wise, 
the  beautiful,  the  good,  the  ripe  scholar,  the  eloquent  orator, 
the  holy  and  faithful  minister  of  Christ,  must  as  certainly  as 
the  wicked  and  the  worthless  go  down  to  the  land  of  silence, 
we  know — and  in  this  we  shall  find  a  rich  source  of  consola- 
tion— that  death  never  comes  by  chance.  In  no  case,  whether 
it  be  of  feeble  infancy,  buoyant  youth,  mature  manhood,  or 
hoary  age,  whether  of  one  whose  decease  is  no  more  regarded 
than  the  fall  of  an  autumn  leaf,  or  of  one  whose  loss  fills  a  land 
with  grief,  is  the  event  the  result  of  accident.  ilSTo  !  That 
moment  so  awful,  so  solemn,  so  irrevocably  decisive,  when  the 
body  turns  to  its  earth,  and  the  soul  wings  its  mystic  flight  into 
eternity,  is  fixed  by  infinite  wisdom  and  infinite  goodness  by 
Him  who  knows  what  is  best,  and  who  doetli  all  things  well. 
When  He  issues  the  command,  and  not  till  then,  "  man's 
1)reath  departs,  and  that  very  day  his  thoughts  i3erish."  And 
brittle  as  is  the  cord  which  binds  soul  and  body,  until  God 
speaks  the  word,  not  all  the  powers  of  earth  and  hell  com- 
bined can  sever  it.  Every  human  being  is  immortal  until  his 
work  is  done,  until  all  the  purposes,  whether  of  mercy  or  of 
wrath,  for  which  God  hath  made  him  and  placed  him  here, 
have  been  accomplished.  Until  then,  the  arrow  that  flieth  by 
day  can  not  touch  him  ;  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  dark- 
ness can  not  reach  him  ;  a  thousand  may  fall  at  his  side,  and 
ten  thousand  at  his  right  hand,  but  it  can  not  come  nigh  him. 

And  as  it  is  with  the  time,  so  in  regard  to  all  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  our  departure  from  this  world.    The 


32 

same  gracious  and  perfect  Wisdom  wliicli  fixes  the  former,  ar- 
ranges the  latter ;  they  are  all  ordered  by  Him  who  has  num- 
bered the  hairs  of  our  head,  who  directs  the  flight  of  the 
swallow,  and  who  holds  the  keys  of  Hades  and  of  death.  How 
precious  is  this  truth  to  all  the  friends  of  Jesus— how  well 
fitted  to  produce  joyful  hope  and  holy  submission. 

♦'  Why  should  we  mourn  departing  friends, 
Or  shake  at  death's  alarms  ? 
'Tis  but  the  voice  that  Jesus  sends 
To  call  them  to  his  arms." 

n.  The  Lord  gives  to  his  servants  length  of  days,  according 
to  his  own  good  pleasure  and  for  the  sake  of  others. 

In  the  infancy  of  the  world,  human  life  was  measured  by 
centuries  rather  than  by  years  ;  but  as  the  race  grew  in  num- 
bers the  period  of  men's  earthly  existence  was  gradually  and 
o-reatly  diminished,  and  many  ages  have  elapsed  since  the 
Psalmist  uttered  those  mournful  strains :  "  The  days  of  our 
years  are  three-score  years  and   ten;   and    if  by  reason  ot 
strength  they  be  four-score  years,  yet  is  their  strength  labor 
and  sorrow,  for  it  is  soon  cut  off",  and  we  fiy  away."    The  in- 
stances in  which  this  limit  is  overpassed  are  very  rare,  and  the 
person  who  completes  his  century  is  as  a  "wonder  unto  many." 
Multitudes  just  open  their  eyes  upon  earth,  and  then  close 
them  forever.     Between  these  two  extremes — between  the  in- 
fant of  an  hour  and  the  man  an  hundred  years  old— the  length 
of  human  life  is  almost  infinitely  varied.   Its  average  dm-ation 
may  be  ascertained,  and  about  how  many  out  of  a  given  num- 
ber will  reach  a  certain  age,  but  in  the  case  of  the  individual 
neither  the  profoundest  wisdom  nor  the  largest  experience  can 
tell,  or  even  guess,  the  number  of  his  days.   All  that  we  know 
or  can  say  is,  that  it  is  determined  by  the  good  pleasure  of  the 
Lord,  according  to  the  counsel  of  his  own  will.     "We  should 
suppose  that  personal  excellence  and  eminent  usefulness  would 
be  some  guarantee  of  long  life,  yet  we  know  they  are  not. 
Indeed,  so  often  do  we  see  the  excellent  ones  of  earth  taken 


33 

away  in  the  midst  of  their  daj^s,  that  the  exhibition  of  nnusnal 
loveliness  in  early  life  is  very  apt  to  snggest  the  idea  of  an 
early  death.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  this  invariably  hap- 
pens, but  only  that  there  is  no  certain  connection  between 
eminent  virtue  or  capacity  for  usefulness  and  a  good  old  ao-e, 
that  we  have  no  absolute  warrant  to  expect  long  life  even  in 
the  case  of  those  whose  services,  as  it  seems  to  us,  could  be  ill 
spared  by  the  Church  and  by  the  world.  Indeed,  if  those 
memorable  words  of  Paul  are  to  be  taken  as  expressing  a 
general  fact,  "  I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire  to 
depart  and  to  be  with  Christ  w^hicli  is  far  better,"  it  may  be 
questioned  whether  length  of  days  on  earth  is  to  be  regarded 
as  a  blessing  to  the  godly  man  personally.  For  the  sooner 
death  comes  to  him  the  sooner  is  he  at  rest ;  the  sooner  he  ex- 
changes a  world  of  toil  and  trial,  of  sin  and  sorrow,  for  one  of 
perfect  and  eternal  light  and  bliss  ;  the  sooner  he  departs  the 
sooner  does  he  join  the  w^hite-robed  multitude  with  the  Lamb 
upon  Mount  Zion.  It  may  be,  nay,  we  do  not  deny  that  it  is 
good  to  be  here,  but  it  is  far  better  to  be  where  Christ  is,  with 
Christ,  perfect  in  his  likeness,  and  living  in  his  immediate 
presence.  Paul  was  perfectly  assured  that  an  unfadino-  crown 
awaited  him  in  heaven  ;  he  was  well  persuaded  that  every  day 
he  staid  here  below  was  just  to  defer  so  much  longer  the 
moment  when  he  should  possess  the  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory ;  but  if  such  M^ere  his  Master's  will,  he 
was  content  to  abide  on  earth,  spending  and  being  spent,  fil- 
ing up  the  afflictions  of  Christ  for  his  body's  sake,  ready  to 
endure  all  things  for  the  elect's  sake,  that  they  might  obtain 
the  salvation  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  with  eternal  glory.  And 
so  are  all  who  share  in  like  precious  faith  and  hope  with  Paul. 
Our  divine  Lord  and  Master  keeps  some  of  his  servants  here 
until  the  years  of  their  ministry  exceed  the  average  of  human 
life  ;  others  are  taken  away  in  the  mid-time  of  their  days ; 
others  still  are  called  hence  ere  the  dew  of  their  youth  has 
disappeared — they  are  summoned  to  lay  aside  the  armor  cf 
3 


34 

liglit  just  as  they  have  put  it  on.  In  all  this,  God  appears  act- 
ing according  to  his  sovereign  will,  amid  clouds  and  darkness 
doing  his  pleasure  ;  but  blessed  be  his  name,  we  know  it  is  his 
good  pleasure.  There  is  in  every  case  a  reason  for  his  proce- 
dure, though  we  can  not  discover  it.  Of  this  much,  however, 
we  may  be  certain,  that  when  he  spares  a  faithful  minister  for 
many  years,  it  is  for  the  sake  of  others  ;  and  when  he  takes 
away  a  faithful  minister  in  early  youth,  or  ripe  manhood,  to 
the  saint  himself  his  removal  hence  is  unspeakable  gain,  to 
his  family  and  his  flock  it  is  the  gracious  discipline  of  a  loving 
Father  and  a  covenant  God,  while  to  some  among  whom  he 
had  gone  preaching  the  glad  tidings,  but  has  preached  them 
in  vain,  it  may  be  a  wrathful  judgment,  the  taking  from  them 
a  candlestick  they  despised,  because  they  loved  darkness  rather 
than  light. 

III.  God's  people  ofttimes]enjoy  richer  foretastes  of  heavenly 
blessedness  as  they  approach  their  latter  end. 

Moses  was  not  permitted,  on  account  of  his  siu  at  Meribah, 
to  conduct  the  tribes  of  Israel  into  the  promised  land.  In  a 
moment  of  passion  he  forgot  that  he  was  only  a  servant  in  the 
Lord's  house,  and  spake  unadvisedly  with  his  lips.  But  though 
he  was  visited  with  a  rod,  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  the  Lord 
still  followed  him,  and  as  the  days  of  his  ministry  were  draw- 
ing to  a  close,  he  was  honored  with  special  communion  with 
God.  He  was  permitted  to  look  down  the  long  vista  of  com- 
ing ages,  and  survey  the  varied  fortunes  of  his  beloved  Israel. 
From  the  summit  of  Nebo  he  was  enabled  to  get  a  distant  but 
distinct  view  of  that  goodly  land  promised  to  his  fathers  for 
an  everlasting  inheritance.  "  Tlic  Lord  showed  him  all  the 
land  of  Gilead  unto  Dan,  and  all  Naphtali,  and  the  land  of 
Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  and  all  the  land  of  Judali  nnto  the 
utmost  pea,  and  the  soutli  and  the  plain  of  the  valley  of  Jeri- 
cho, the  city  of  palm  trees  unto  Zoar."  The  vision  was  doubt- 
less supernatural,  and  was  a  befitting  preparation  for  a  death 


35 

so  near.  As  his  eyes  close  npoii  the  bills  and  valleys,  tlie 
green  fields  and  sparkling  streams  of  the  earthly  Canaan,  they 
at  once  open  to  behold  the  far  more  exceeding  scenery  of  the 
Better  Country. 

And  thus  has  it  been  with  many  a  servant  of  the  Lord.  I 
do  not  say  with  all  of  them,  for  in  this,  as  in  some  other  mat- 
ters, God  is  a  sovereign,  and  sometimes  gives  most  impressive 
proof  that  his  path  is  in  the  sea  and  his  footsteps  are  not 
known.  I  have  no  doubt  that  God's  own  dear  children  have 
been  sometimes  left  to  walk  in  darkness  up  to  the  very  borders 
of  the  grave,  their  inward  fears  and  outward  fightings  ceasing 
only  with  their  breath.  But  on  the  other  hand  many  a  saint 
who,  like  Moses,  had  been  employed  in  the  active  service  of 
the  Bedeemer,  lias,  like  Moses,  received  on  the  bed  of  death 
rich  prelibations  of  the  bliss  awaiting  them  above.  A  very 
lialo  of  holiness  has  seemed  to  rest  upon  them  while  the}' 
appeared  to  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  heaven.  At  eventide 
it  has  been  light.  They  have  been  made  to  sit  upon  their  high 
places,  and  have  seen  as  they  never  saw  before,  "the  King  in 
liis  beauty."  Thus  was  it  wath  "  Paul  the  aged,"  wlien  he  said  : 
"  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure 
is  at  hand — henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  right- 
eousness." Thus  was  it  with  John  Welsh,  one  of  Scotland's 
worthies  in  other  days.  So  filled  was  he  to  overflowing  with 
the  joy  unspeakable,  that  he  exclaimed  :  "  Hold  thy  hand,  0 
Lord  !  thy  servant  is  but  an  earthen  vessel."  Thus  was  it  with 
Toplady,  who,  dying  in  the  meridian  of  his  days,  styled  him- 
self the  happiest  of  men.  "  Oh !  what  delights !  what  a 
bright  sunshine  has  been  spread  around  me.  Surely  no  mortal 
man  can  live  after  glories  such  as  God  has  manifested  to  my 
soul.  All  is  light,  light,  light."  Thus  it  was  vrith  Payson, 
who,  when  asked,  "  Do  you  feel  reconciled  to  die  ?"  replied  : 
"  Oh  I  that  is  too  cold.  I  rejoice,  I  triumph — I  can  find  no 
words  to  express  my  happiness."     And  thus  has  it  been  with 


36 

many  more,  wlio,  amid  the  pains  and  languor  of  disease,  liave 
been  brought  to  the  very  threshold  of  heaven  ;  its  everlasting 
doors  have  been  opened  and  the  light  from  within  has  streamed 
forth  in  divine  effulgence  upon  their  souls  ere  they  entered 
the  sanctuary  of  the  skies  to  dwell  amid  its  eternal  splendors. 
Perhaps  a  still  larger  number  of  dying  saints  though  strangers 
to  the  raptures  of  others,  have  nevertheless  possessed  an  un- 
troubled peace  and  an  unwavering  faith  in  the  promised  joys 
and  glories  of  eternity.  Their  sun  has  gone  down  in  calm  se- 
renity, 

As  sets  the  morning  star,  which  goes 

Not  down  behind  the  darkened  west,  nor  hides 

Obscured  amid  the  tempests  of  the  skies, 

But  melts  away  into  the  light  of  heaven. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  circumstances  atteudhig  the  last 
hours  of  believers,  we  know  that  "  precious  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord  is  the  death  of  his  saints."  Does  the  parent  look  with 
eao-er  desire  for  the  moment  when  he  shall  hear  the  footfall  of 
the  child  who  has  been  long  a  sojourner  in  a  distant  land  !* 
And  is  not  the  Christian,  while  in  this  present  evil  world,  a 
pilgrim  and  a  sojourner?  Yes,  so  long  as  he  is  herein  the 
body  he  is  absent  from  the  Lord.  And  hence  we  may  well 
believe  that  that  is  a  precious  moment  to  Jesus  the  Saviour, 
when  he  welcomes  to  his  immediate  presence  the  soul  for  which 
he  shed  his  blood — washed,  sanctified,  justified,  complete  in 
risrhteousness  and  bliss. 

lY.  The  removal  of  faithful  servants  of  the  Lord  may  well 
excite  the  deep  and  sincere  grief  of  those  who  have  enjoyed 
their  fellowship  and  labors. 

Such  grief  is  natural  and  proper.  "  The  children  of  Israel 
mo'urned  for  Moses  thirty  days  in  the  plains  of  Moab."  The 
devout  men  who  carried  the  mangled  body,  of  the  martyr, 
Stephen,  to  the  sepulchre,  "  made  great  lamentation  over  him." 


3T 

Paul,  in  comforting  the  Thessalonian  Christians,  in  view  of  the 
decease  of  those  who  slept  in  Jesus,  recognizes  the  sacredness 
of  grief.  "  We  sorrow  not  as  those  who  have  no  hope,"  but 
still-  we  sorrow.  It  is  the  prompting  of  the  nature  which  God 
has  given  us.  To  gaze  upon  the  lifeless  remains  of  the  hus- 
band, the  parent,  the  brother,  the  friend,  the  loving  pastor ;  to 
take  our  last  look  of  one  bound  to  us  by  such  ties,  unmoved, 
would  betray  a  heart  wholly  ignorant  of  the  genius  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  wholly  destitute  of  the  spirit  of  that  divine  Saviour 
who  himself  wept  at  the  tomb  of  Lazarus. 

Christianity  does  not  make  men  stoics ;  she  does  not  eradicate 
any  of  the  principles  and  affections  of  our  nature ;  she  only 
purifies  and  exalts  them.  She  does  not  forbid  the  indulgence 
of  our  joys  or  our  griefs ;  she  only  seeks  to  moderate  and  con- 
trol them.  She  does  not  look  with  disdainful  eye  upon  the 
mourners  tears,  for  she  gathers  them  in  her  bottle  and  writes 
them  in  her  book,  even  when  she  comes,  that  with  her  loving 
hand  she  may  apply  the  healing  balm  of  Gilead  to  the  stricken 
heart.  Those  to  whom  we  are  bound  in  the  near  and  dear 
relationships  of  life,  especially  when  they  are  adorned  with  the 
graces  of  the  Gospel,  are  among  God's  most  precious  gifts  to 
us.  To  part  from  them  with  apathy  when  death  comes  into 
our  windows  and  carries  them  away,  is  to  show  that  we  have 
failed  alike  in  appreciating  the  gift,  and  in  the  gratitude  due 
to  God  who  gave  it.  God  himself  bids  the  smitten  household 
to  weep  as  they  stand  around  their  loved  one's  new-made 
grave,  or  look  upon  that  vacant  place  which  shall  know  him 
no  more  forever.  God  himself  calls  the  Church  to  mourn  and 
lament  when  the  godly  man,  eminent  alike  for  personal  excel- 
lence and  active  goodness,  wholesome  and  growing  influence, 
"  fails  from  among  the  children  of  men."  "When  a  servant  of 
the  Lord — one  fitted  by  the  endowments  of  nature,  the  gifts 
of  grace,  the  wisdom  of  ripened  experience  for  wide  useful- 
ness, is  summoned  from  the  field  of  his  labors,  we  may  well 


38 

exclaim,  as  Elisba  did  :  "  My  father,  my  father  !  the  chariots 
of  Israel  and  the  horseman  thereof."  God  means  that  we 
shall  keenly  feel  such  dispensations,  for  otherwise  we  should 
be  in  no  suitable  frame  to  learn  the  lessons  he  is  teaching,  and 
we  should  fail  to  gain  the  gracious  and  glorious  end  for  which 
lie  subjects  us  to  such  discipline — that  we  may  become  par- 
takers of  his  holiness. 

Y.  The  Lord's  servants  die  and  disappear  at  his  command, 
but  his  Church  survives,  and  he  will  never  cease  to  provide 
the  needful  instruments  to  carry  on  his  own  work.  After 
Hoses,  we  are  told  there  arose  no  prophet  like  unto  him.  In 
all  that  glorious  succession,  not  one  was  the  equal  of  him  who 
died  upon  the  top  of  Xebo.  He  was  peerless,  his  loss  seemed 
irreparable.  In  one  sense  it  was.  But  though  Moses  was  dead, 
the  tribes  of  Israel  did  not  stop  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
which  contained  his  grave.  Moses  was  gone,  but  Israel  did 
not  want  a  leader  fully  competent  for  the  work  intended  to  be 
done.  Moses  died  in  the  land  of  Moab,  but  the  host  of  God, 
that  he  had  so  long  led,  is  soon  again  in  motion.  Jordan  is 
crossed,  the  armies  of  Canaan  are  put  to  flight,  the  goodly  land 
is  won.  So  has  it  ever  been,  so  will  it  ever  be  until  the  mys- 
tery of  God  is  finished.  Apostles,  prophets,  pastors,  teachers 
die,  but  Jesus  lives,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever. 
The  most  distinguished,  the  most  devoted,  the  most  successful 
minister  is  only  an  earthen  vessel,  having  nothing  which  he 
has  not  received  ;  and  we  reflect  upon  the  all-sufficiency  and 
tlie  watchful,  loving  care  of  the  Church's  Head,  when  we  speak 
of  the  removal  of  any  one  in  any  sphere,  however  justly  val- 
ued by  ns,  as  a  loss  which  it  is  impossible  to  repair.  "  "Wlio 
then  is  Paul,  and  who  is  Apollos,  but  ministers  by  whom  ye 
believed,  even  as  the  Lord  gave  to  every  man  ?"  Although 
the  cistern  at  which  we  liave  been  accustomed  to  slake  our 
thirst    be   destroyed,   the   fountain    that  filled    it  survives; 


89 

although  the  star  to  which  we  were  wont  to  look  for  guidance, 
and  in  whose  light  we  for  a  season  rejoiced,  be  extinguished, 
He  who  holds  the  stars  in  his  right  hand  still  lives — the  Alpha 
and  Omega,  the  first  and  the  last — head  over  all  things  for  the 
good  of  His  body,  the  Church — Jesus,  in  whom  dwells  all  the 
fulhiess  of  the  Godhead.  And  one  great  end  of  such  dispensa- 
tions as  the  one  over  which  we  mourn,  is  to  correct  the  false 
views  we  are  apt  to  form  respecting  the  Lord's  work,  to  dissi- 
pate those  needless  anxieties  to  which  we  are  so  prone  to  yield 
in  regard  to  the  Lord's  cause.  Therefore  he  says,  "  Be  still 
and  know  that  I  am  God" — my  purpose  shall  stand  and  I  will 
do  all  my  pleasure. 

My  dear  friends !  these  lessons  of  God's  word  are  pressed 
upon  our  consideration  by  that  solemn  event  which  has  occa- 
sioned our  present  meeting.  God  who  so  lately  gave  you  a 
pastor,  one  on  whom  you  had  built  high  hopes,  and  around 
whom  your  warm  affections  had  begun  to  cluster,  has  taken 
him  to  Himself.  Just  as  he  has  entered  the  new  field  of  labor, 
and  is  girding  himself  for  the  duties  of  a  new  and  arduous 
charge,  in  the  mid-time  of  his  days,  the  maturity  of  his  strength, 
he  is  cut  down.  ■  One  end  of  our  gathering  here  this  evening 
is  to  do  honor  to  his  memory,  and  yet  if  his  voice  could  reach 
us  from  those  heavens  where,  I  doubt  not,  his  ransomed  spirit 
now  dwells,  I  am  very  confident  that  his  earnest  utterance 
would  be  :  "  Warn,  instruct,  entreat  the  living  to  be  reconciled 
to  God,  to  prepare  for  the  coming  eternity,  but  waste  not  time 
in  eulogizing  the  dead."  To  himself,  human  praise  and  human 
censure  are  trifles  lighter  than  air,  but  to  us  who  remain  be- 
hind, it  may  be  useful  to  survey  the  grace  of  God  in  him.* 

From  the  origin  of  this  congregation,  the  attention  of  its 
members  was  turned  to  Dr.  Polhemus,  as,  under  God,  a  man 

*  The  portion  of  the  sermon  that  contained  an  account  of  the  early  life  of  Dr. 
Polhemus,  and  of  his  residence  at  Hopewell,  having  been  incorporated  with  the 
Biographical  Sketch,  is  here  omitted. 


40 

eminently  fitted  to  carry  forward  the  important  enterprise 
with  success.  He  pondered  the  question  of  his  coming  hither 
with  earnest  and  prayerful  anxiety.  If  he  had  simply  con- 
sulted his  own  pei-sonal  ease  and  comfort,  the  matter  might 
have  had  a  speedy  decision,  and  even  in  a  higher  view  of  the 
snhject,  there  were  considerations  not  without  weight,  induc- 
ing him  to  stay  where  he  was.  In  the  end,  however,  he  be- 
lieved that  the  Lord  had  called  him  to  go  to  Newark,  and  in 
this  faith  he  never  wavered.  But,  after  all,  it  was  no  easy  task 
to  go ;  it  was  no  slight  trial  to  sunder  the  bonds  which  had 
been  created  during  a  ha])py  and  useful  pastorate  of  twenty 
yeai-s.  Farewell,  was  a  hard  word  for  him  to  say  to  such  a 
people  as  he  had  been  living  among,  and  had  ministered  to  so 
long ;  nor  was  it  easier  for  them  to  consent  to  give  up  such  a 
pastor.  You  will,  I  am  sure,  bear  with  me  for  saying  that  I 
shall  ever  honor  and  love  the  congregation  of  Hopewell  for  the 
earnest  resistance  they  made  to  the  removal' of  my  dear  bro- 
ther, with  whom  and  among  whom,  it  has  been  my  privilege  to 
spend  so  many  delightful  Sabbaths,  and  so  much  Christian  fel- 
lowship. He  came  to  Newark  in  the  noon  of  his  manhood 
and  the  fullness  of  his  strength,  with  the  promise  of  many 
years  of  labor  and  of  large  success.  He  came  here  and  re- 
ceived a  cordial  welcome  from  many  brethren  in  various 
branches  of  the  Church.  He  came  a  comparative  stranger, 
yet  almost  immediately  lie  found  himself  surrounded  by 
warmly  attached  friends,  for  his  manly  form  and  noble  pre- 
sence were  but  the  index  of  scarcely  less  obvious  and  still 
nobler  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  Hardly  six  months  have 
elapsed  since  in  this  very  church  he  stood  up  to  take  upon  him- 
self the  pastor's  vows,  and  from  this  same  spot,  only  a  week 
ago,  his  mortal  remains,  were  borne  to  the  grave  by  a  great 
multitude  of  devout  men  and  of  weeping  friends,  and  now  he 
sleeps  in  Jesus,  in  yonder  sepulchre  on  the  banks  of  the  Pas- 
saic. 


41 

With  the  circumstances  connected  with  his  last  illness,  and 
the  record  of  his  dying  exercises,  you  have  been  already  made 
acquainted.*  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  on  the  12th  of  August  last, 
he  came  to  Newburgh,  purposing  to  stay  there  only  a  few  days, 
but  as  the  result  showed,  it  was  to  spend  three  wearisome 
months  on  the  bed  of  languishing,  often  tortured  with  exquisite 
pain,  and  to  die  there  at  the  command  of  the  Lord.  From  an 
earl}^  period  of  his  sickness  he  was  impressed  with  the  belief 
that  it  would  be  unto  death.  But  the  prospect  did  not  dismay 
him.  He  "knew  in  whom  he  had  believed."  His  patience 
under  his  sufferings,  and  his  considerate  regard  for  othere,  were 
most  exemplary.  The  tokens  of  affectionate  interest  which  he 
was  constantly  receiving  from  his  own  people  and  other  friends 
in  Newark,  deeply  touched  his  heart,  and  he  often  expressed 
the  wish  that  he  might  be  able  to  tell  them  all  how  much  he 
valued  their  love.  For  the  sake  of  his  infant  church,  of  his 
beloved  wife,  so  long  accustomed  to  lean  on  his  strong  arm, 
and  of  their  dear  children — four  of  whom  were  too  young  to 
appreciate  the  loss  of  such  a  father — he  desired  to  live,  if  such 
were  his  Master's  will.  But  to  that  will  he  bowed  joyfully  as 
well  as  submissively.  More  than  once  he  said  :  "  I  have  peace 
— perfect  peace." 

With  the  calm  confidence  of  a  believer  in  Jesus  he  was  en- 
abled to  commit  those  most  dear  to  him  to  the  care  of  a  cov- 
enant God,  and  on  the  bed  of  death  he  preached  to  them  the 
same  precious  faitli  which  they  had  heard  him  proclaim  from 
the  pulpit.  Only  once,  a  day  or  two  before  his  departure,  did 
a  cloud  darken  his  mind,  and  then  it  was  only  for  a  moment. 
"  At  eventide  it  was  light."  And  as  he  went  down  into  the 
dark  valley,  and  his  feet  touched  the  cold  waters  of  the  river 
of  death,  he  beheld  Him  whom  his  soul  loved.  "  I  see  Jesus," 
said  he,  "  and  now  I  can  no  more  come  back."  The  only  thing 
he  dreaded,  and  from  which  he  had  specially  prayed  to  be  de- 

*  They  were  given  by  Dr.  De  Witt  on  the  day  of  the  funeral. 


42 

livered,  the  agonies  of  dissolution,  he  was  mercifully  spared. 
Without  a  groan,  without  a  struggle,  without  a  sigh  even,  he 
sweetly  fell  asleep. 

Dear  Brother  !  thou  hast  been  taken  from  us  in  the  meridian 
of  thy  days,  and  many  hearts  have  been  made  to  bleed  ;  but  it 
is  our  Master's  will  that  thou  shouldst  go  ;  thy  work  was  fin- 
ished ;  thou  hast  entered  into  rest. 

"  Soldier  of  Christ,  well  done  ! 
Praise  be  thy  new  employ ; 
The  battle  fought,  the  victory  won, 
Best  in  thy  Saviour's  joy," 


DR.    POLHEMUS'S    SERMONS. 


45 


SERMON    I. 

THE     PREACHER'S      THEME. 

"I  DETERMINED  not  to  kuow  any  thing  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified,"—!  CoR.  2  :  2. 

Never  did  the  Apostle  Paul  receive  a  nobler  compliment 
than  that  pronounced  by  certain  "  vagabond,"  that  is,  wander- 
dering  Jewish  exorcists,  who  attempted  to  cast  out  evil  spirits 
by  saying :  "  We  adjure  you  by  Jesus,  whom  Paul  preacheth." 
It  showed  not  only  that  they  had  witnessed  the  magic  power 
of  that  name  in  the  mouth  of  the  Apostle,  but  also,  his  enemies 
being  witnesses,  that  Paul  was  faithful  to  his  high  commission, 
and  to  his  solemn  professions. 

It  is  said  to  have  been  the  wish  of  St.  Augustin,  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  fathers  of  the  early  Church,  that  he  could 
have  seen  Paul  in  the  pulpit.  We  do  not  think  that  this  de- 
sire was  dictated  by  a  mere  idle  curiosity — a  desire  simply  of 
looking  upon  the  man  or  of  hearing  him  preach,  but  rather  of 
seeing  how  he  was  impressed  with  the  awful  trust  committed 
to  him  ;  it  was  a  desire  that  he  might  have  witnessed  Paul's 
zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  have 
listened  to  that  eloquence  which  was  mighty,  not  by  reason  of 
its  external  adornment,  but  by  its  clear  logic,  its  fearless  de- 
clarations of  the  whole  counsel  of  God,  its  discriminating  and 
searching  appeals  to  the  consciences  of  his  hearers.  If  he  could 
have  had  his  wish,  methinks  he  would  have  seen  somethino- 
corresponding  to  the  history  of  his  conversion.  You  remem- 
ber that  Paul  then  heard  the  voice  of  Christ  saying  :  "  Eise 
and  stand  upon  thy  feet,  for  I  have  appeared  unto  thee,  to 
make  thee  a  minister  and  a  witness  both  of  the  things  which 
thou  hast  seen,  and  of  those  things  in  which  I  will  appear  untc» 
thee,  delivering  thee  from  the  Gentiles,  unto  whom  I  now  send 
thee,  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to 
light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,  that  they  may 


46 

receive  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  inheritance  among  all  tlieni 
which  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is  in  me."  (Acts  26  :  27.) 
No  other  preacher  ever  received  his  commission  in  terms  and 
under  circumstances  so  remarkable  as  these.  Paul,  as  he  told 
Agrippa,  "  was  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision  ;"  and  his 
sermons  and  his  epistles  are  his  witnesses  that  he  never  forgot  it. 

Paul,  centuries  ago,  entered  into  his  rest,  having  fulfilled  his 
course.  When  we  see  him,  it  shall  not  be  in  the  pulpit,  but 
among  the  leaders  of  that  glorious  company  that  celebrate 
God's  free  grace,  forever,  in  heaven.  Being  dead  he  yet 
speaketh  ;  and  if  the  Church  of  Christ  should  ever  lose  sight 
of  the  pure  Gospel,  or,  corrupting  it  by  rites  and  ceremonies, 
and  traditions  of  men,  should  make  it  another  gospel,  and  if, 
in  that  case,  God,  for  the  sake  of  a  remnant  whom  he  would 
save,  should  determine  to  send  back  to  earth  one  of  "  the  twelve 
apostles  of  the  Lamb,"  who  can  doubt  that  Paul  would  be  the 
chosen  messenger  from  heaven,  and  that  these  very  w^ords  of 
my  text  would  express  the  grand  theme  of  his  ministry  :  "  I 
am  determined  to  know  nothing  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ 
and  him  crucified." 

We  judge  of  what  w^ould  be,  from  what  hath  been.  The 
Gospel,  which  is  founded  upon  the  character  of  God,  and  the 
necessities  of  fallen  man,  is  the  same  in  all  ages.  What  Paul 
preached  when  in  the  flesh,  he  would  preach  again  if  he  were 
here  below.  In  every  place  he  testified  repentance  toward 
God,  and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  On  every  occa- 
sion the  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified  was  his  leading  and  dis- 
tinguishing theme  ;  on  this  doctrine  he  insisted  as  the  one  which 
more  than  any  other  illustrated  the  glory  of  God  and  advanced 
the  happiness  of  man.  "  We  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ 
Jesus  the  Lord."  "  We  preach  Christ  crucified,  unto  the  Jews  a 
stumbling-block,  and  unto  the  Greeks  foolishness ;  but  unto  them 
which  are  called,  both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of 
Gud,  and  the  wisdom  of  God."  (1  Cor.  1 :  23, 24.)  It  was  by  the 
manifestation  of  this  truth  that  the  apostles  commended  them- 
selves to  every  manVconscience  in  the  sight  of  God.     We  say 


47 

to  every  man's  conscience.  Paul  preached  but  one  gospel  at 
Damascus,  at  Epliesus,  at  Philip  pi,  at  Eome.  Whether  he 
stood  upon  the  hill  of  Mars,  in  sight  of  the  altar  bearing  the 
inscription,  "  To  the  unknown  God,"  or  walked  amid  the  gor- 
geous jet  tasteful  palaces  of  Corinth,  he  beheld  the  tokens  of 
"  the  wide-spread  malady,"  which  philosophy  vainly  attempted 
to  mitigate,  for  which  he  knew  the  Gospel  was  the  only  rem- 
edy;  and  so  he  was  prepared  to  stand  or  fall  by  the  result  of 
the  simple  declaration  of  "  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified." 

While  these  words  fell  with  a  peculiar  propriety  from  the 
lips  of  him  who  first  uttered  them,  they  are,  at  the  same  time, 
eminently  befitting,  as  they  will  be  heartily  adopted  by  the 
true  minister  of  Christ  in  every  age.  In  directing  your  atten- 
tion to  the  subject  here  presented,  let  me 

I.  Explain  this  determination  of  the  Apostle. 

We  are  not  to  infer  from  this  statement,  that  the  preaching 
of  Paul  was  so  exclusively  occupied  with  this  theme,  that  no 
other  topic  was  ever  discussed  by  him.'  He  speaks  of  having 
set  forth  Christ  crucified  before  the  eyes  of  the  Galatians  ;  yet 
we  are  not  to  suppose  that  he  confined  himself  to  the  exhibi- 
tion of  the  awful  scenes  on  Calvary,  but  that  the  death  of 
Christ — its  nature,  its  design,  its  results — was  the  grand  central 
doctrine  of  the  system  he  promulgated.  In  fact,  his  preaching 
had  a  wide  range,  embracing  within  its  sweep  all  things  that 
concerned  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  the  great  salvation. 

Again,  these  words  must  be  understood  not  in  an  absolute 
but  comparative  sense.  Paul  did  not  despise  all  other  know- 
ledge. Every  thing  which  God  has  made  is  a  proper  subject 
of  study ;  and  science  of  every  kind  is  useful  to  the  preacher 
if  rightly  employed.  But  the  knowledge  of  Christ  has  a  trans- 
cendent excellence  and  importance,  and  all  other  knowledo'e 
is  to  its  possessor,  if  ignorant  of  Christ,  insignificant  and  vain. 

This  determination  of  Paul,  shows  us,  1.  What  was  the 
subject-matter  of  his  study  and  preaching.  It  was  Jesus 
Christ.  It  was  not  Jewish  traditions ;  it  was  not  Gentile  phi- 
losophy, but  it  was  Jesus  the  Christ,  "  in  whom  are  hid  all  the 


48 

treasures  of  \Nnsdom  and  knowledge."  It  shows,  2.  Under 
what  aspect  and  relation  he  chose  to  study  and  preach  Jesus 
Christ.  It  was  as  "  crucified."  It  was  Christ  above  all  other 
topics,  and  Christ  crucified,  above  all  other  considerations. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified.  Each  of  these  words  has  a  world  of 
meaning.  Jesus  signifies  Saviour.  It  is  a  name  which  affords 
peculiar  and  inestimable  comfort  to  the  believing  mind.  It 
can  never  be  too  much  considered  by  those  who  hope  to  share 
the  blessings,  which  he  who  bore  it  brought  into  the  world. 
"  In  this  name  the  whole  Gospel  lies  hid.  It  is  the  light,  food, 
and  medicine  of  the  soul."  It  includes  so  much,  as  applied  to 
Messiah,  that  no  one  word  in  any  language,  can  fully  express 
tlie  idea  it  conveys.  It  is  meant  to  signify  that  He  delivers 
from  all  evil,  preserves  to  all  good,  and  maintains  the  objects 
of  his  salvation  in  a  state  of  security  and  blessedness  forever. 
This  title,  so  expressive  of  redemption,  was  applied  to  the  • 
human  nature  of  Christ,  before  it  was  assumed.  An  angel 
from  heaven  announced  to  his  virgin  mother,  that  "  his  name 
should  be  called  Jesus,"  (Luke  1  :  30,  33  ;)  and  after  his  birth, 
a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  brought  to  the  humble  shep- 
herds of  Bethlehem,  that  message  of  abundant  joy :  "  Unto  you 
is  born  this  day,  in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  who  is  Christ 
the  Lord."    (Luke  2  :  11.) 

God  had  frequently,  in  past  ages,  raised  up  "saviours"  to 
his  people,  for  temporal  purposes,  and  they  had  received  this 
honorable  appellation.  The  first  who  bore  the  name,  was  the 
son  of  Nun,  the  successor  of  Moses.  Joshua  and  Jesus  are  the 
same  name,  the  first  being  its  Hebrew  form,  the  latter  its 
Greek.  (See  Acts  7  :  45  ;  Heb.  4  :  8.)  But  while  this  name  was 
applied  to  those  whom  God  had  sent  to  be  the  deliverers  and 
leaders  of  his  people,  it  could  not  properly  be  said  of  any  one 
of  them,  that  he  was  the  Saviour,  the  lord.  Not  one  of  them 
was  a  saviour  able  to  bring  salvation  to  the  people,  in  the  plen- 
itude of  his  own  power,  and  by  the  might  of  his  own  arm. 
No  mere  man  could  become,  in  the  highest  sense,  Jesus,  Sav- 
iour, because  unable  to  execute  the  office.    Deity  alone  could 


49 

recover  guilty  creatures,  and  yet  Deity  alone  (witli  reverence 
be  it  said)  could  not  be  the  Saviour  in  the  sense  here  intended, 
because  he  must  be  born  of  a  virgin,  and  become  a  man  of 
sorrows.  He  must  be  man  as  well  as  God,  and  God  as  well  as 
man,  else  he  could  not  be  the  Saviour,  mighty  to  save;  but 
1)eing  both,  he  was  capable  of  performing  all  that  was  given 
liira  to  do.  His  birth  and  his  sufferings  proved  his  humanity  ; 
his  miracles  and  his  resurrection  from  the  dead,  his  essential 
divinity.  (Rom.  1  :  2.)  Jehovah  became  Jesus  that  in  a  way 
consistent  with  his  glorious  perfections,  he  might  save  his  peo- 
ple from  their  sins.  As  Jesus,  having  our  nature,  he  could  be 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  and  was  in  all 
points  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin.  (Heb.  4  :  15.) 
He  could  offer  himself  up  without  spot  to  God,  in  our  stead, 
and  purge  our  sins  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself.  As  Jehovah, 
he  was  able  to  accomplish  all  the  purposes  of  his  grace,  and 
by  a  merit  wdiich  could  satisfy  justice,  bring  in  everlasting  sal- 
vation for  his  people.  Such  is  the  Blessed  Person  whom  the 
Apostle  here  declares  he  was  determined  to  "know." 

He  bears  another  title  generally  annexed  to  Jesus,  namely, 
Christ,  the  Anointed.  Under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation, 
persons  and  tliii;igs  were  anointed,  when  set  apart  for  some  spe- 
cial and  sacred  end.  These  were  feeble  representatives  of 
Christ,  the  true  anointed  of  God.  The  oil,  however,  w^as  only 
the  emblem  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with  which  Jesus  was  anointed 
without  measure.  "  God,  even  thy  God,  hath  anointed  thee 
\y\i\\  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows."  (Prov.  45  :  T.) 
God  anointed  Jesus  of  l!^azaretli  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 
power."  (Acts  10  :  38.)  The  unction  was  the  token  of  the 
divine  appointment  to  office.  Christ  was  thus  divinely  ap- 
pointed to  his  office,  for  at  his  baptism  there  came  a  voice  from 
heaven  saying :  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son  ;  hear  him."  The  oil 
denoted  the  divinely-given  qualifications  for  the  ofiice  to  which 
tlie  person  anointed  was  set  apart.  Christ  was  thus  divinely 
<palified  for  his  offices,  when' he  received  the  unction  of  the 

Holy  Ghost.    Scripture  tells  us  of  three  classes  of  persons  who 
4 


50 

were  consecrated  to  office  by  anoiuting— the  prophets,  the  high 
priests,  and  the  kings.  All  these  offices  are  united  in  the  per- 
son of  our  Lord,  and  arc  all  included  under  his  title  of  Christ, 
or  the  Anointed. 

Jesus  is  the  anointed  Prophet,  for  Isaiah  thus  wrote  of  him  : 
"  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath  anointed 
me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor.''     And  accordingly,  our 
Lord,  in  the  synagogue  of  Kazareth,  having  read  these  words 
to  the  people,  applied  them  to  himself,  saying  :  "  This  day  is 
this  scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears."     (Luke  4  :  21.)     Jesus  is 
tlie  anointed  Priest,  and  in  execution  of  his  office  he  gave  him- 
self "  a  sacrifice  to  God  of  a  sweet-smelling  savor  ;"  and  he 
now  intercedes  for  his  people,  their  never-ceasing  and  effectual 
advocate  before   the  throne  of  God.     Jesus   is  the   anointed 
King  in  Zion.     lie  has  already  proved,  and  will  continue  to 
prove,  that  he  has  been  anointed  not  to  an  empty  title  without 
royal  power,  but  to  a  dominion  founded  in  complete  victory 
over  all  his  enemies,  and  the  perfect  and  eternal  blessedness 
of  his  redeemed.     "  He  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  ene- 
mies under  his  feet"— Sin,  Satan,  Death,  and  Hell  shall  all  be 
vanquished.     All  this  is  included  under  the  title  of  Christ. 
This  Jesns  the  Christ,  did  Paul  preach  and  constantly  hold 
forth,  and  this  same  Christ  do  I  now  proclaim  to  you,  and  pur- 
pose to  make  the  great  theme  of  my  teaching. 

But  it  is  not  upon  the  name  of  Jesus  that  we  rest  our  hopes 
of  salvation,  neither  is  it  upon  the  anointing  of  Christ.  That 
which  Paul  was  determined  to  know,  and  upon  which  he  dwelt, 
was  Christ  crucified.  This  was  the  special  character  in  which 
he  resolved  to  study  and  preach  Christ.  "  Jesus  Christ  they 
know  in  heaven  ;  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified,  sinners  are 
to  know  on  the  earth."  To  you  and  to  me,  as  guilty  creatures, 
Christ  crucified  is  every  thing,  the  foundation  of  all  our  hopes. 
It  is  the  keystone  of  the  arch  of  salvation.  Paul  singles  out 
this,  as  being  of  all  views  of  Christ  the  most  excellent — the 
one  which  captivated  and  sustained  his  soul.  All  else  that 
Christ  did  would  have  been  useless  to  us,  if  he  had  not  died 


51 

upon  the  cross ;  we  would  have  found  no  comfort  in  looking 
to  him,  if  he  had  not  "given  his  life  a  ransom  for  many." 
The  great  means  of  reaching  the  sinner's  heart  is  not  so  much 
by  holding  up  before  him  Christ  as  an  example  of  holiness,  as 
by  showing  him  Christ  dying  on  the  cross.  Here,  at  the  cross, 
we  learn  lessons  which  are  taught  no  where  else.  Here,  we 
behold  the  complete  ratification  of  all  the  purposes  and  pro- 
mises of  God.  Christ  left  the  abodes  of  bliss  and  came  into 
the  world  for  the  express  purpose  of  being  crucified.  It  was 
part  of  the  predetermined  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God. 
The  Lord  of  life  often  spoke  of  it  to  his  disciples,  and  there 
seemed  (if  we  may  so  speak)  something  brooding  on  his  mind 
in  reference  to  this  great  transaction,  during  the  whole  of  his 
ministry  on  earth.  On  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  the  sub- 
ject of  his  converse  with  Moses  and  Elias  was,  the  decease 
which  he  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem. 

The  moment  that  Paul  was  forced  to  abandon  his  self-right- 
eous hopes,  his  eye  turned  to  Calvary.  He  who  once  had 
trusted  in  the  righteousness  of  the  law,  now  preached  Christ 
and  him  crucified,  as  the  only  hope  of  the  sinner.  He  who 
fancied  he  "  had  whereof  to  glory"  in  his  legal  observances, 
his  circumcision,  his  tithes,  his  fastings,  is  heard  saying :  "  God 
forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,"  He  saw  in  the  Crucified  One  the  antetype  of  the 
■  Passover,  whose  blood  sprinkled  upon  the  conscience  would 
cause  the  destroying  angel  to  pass  by.  He  saw  in  him  the 
antetype  of  the  scapegoat,  bearing  all  the  sins  of  his  people, 
and  carrying  them  away  to  a  land  of  forgetfulness.  He  looked 
at  the  cross,  and  found  in  it  the  answer  to  Job's  question, 
'^  How  shall  man  be  just  with  God  ?"  for  there  he  saw  mercy 
and  truth  met  together ;  he  saw  God  humbling  his  only-be- 
gotten Son,  that  he  might  bring  many  sons  unto  glorj'.  To 
the  Apostle,  the  cross  was  "  the  tree  of  life  which  bare  twelve 
manner  of  fruits"  —  pardoUj  peace,  holiness,  eternal  glory. 
Standing  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  he  could  open  his  mouth 
boldly,  with  the  assurance  that  there  was  not  a  blessing  in  all 


52 

God's  storehouse  wliicli  he  might  not  freely  offer  to  the  chiel 
of  sinners.  "  lie  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered 
liim  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with  him  freely  give  us  all 
hings?"  Such  was  Paid's  logic,  which  he  learned  and  used 
beneath  the  cross.  Make  it  yours,  my  hearers,  and  you  will 
and  it  better  wortli  knowing  than  any  other  logic  under 
heaven.  It  will  solve  more  doubts,  it  will  clear  away  more 
mists,  it  will  shed  more  light,  it  will  bring  more  assurance  and 
sweeter  comforts,  than  all  the  learning  of  the  schools  or  the 
wisdom  of  tlie  world,  causing  you  to  sing  : 

"  Sweet  the  moments,  rich  in  blessing, 
Which  before  the  cross  I  spend  ; 
Life,  and  health,  and  peace  possessing. 
From  the  sinner's  dying  Friend. 

"  Here  I'll  sit  forever  viewing 

Mercy's  streams,  in  streams  of  hlood  ! 
Precious  drops  my  soul  bedewing 
Plead  and  claim  my  peace  with  God." 

0  ray  hearer !  go  to  the  cross,  and  cry  before  heaven  and 
■earth  :  "  I  am  determined  not  to  know  any  thing,  save  Jesus 
and  him  crucified." 

II.  "We  promised  to  vindicate  this  determination  of  the  apos- 
tle.   Tliere  are  various  grounds  on  which  it  may  be  defended. 

1.  Paul  was  determined  not  to  know  any  thing  save  Jesus 
Christ  and  him  crucified,  because  he  sought  for  the  souls  of 
men.  No  one  who  attentively  considers  the  life  and  character 
()f  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles  can  doubt  that  his  one  great  ob- 
ject was  to  win  souls  to  Christ.  If  he  had  sought  his  own 
fame  or  his  temporal  comfort,  he  would  never  have  rehearsed 
to  the  men  of  Corinth  the  story  of  Calvary.  He  could  have 
reasoned  as  profoundly,  and  spoken  as  eloquently,  as  any  of 
tlie  philosophei-3  or  orators  of  Greece,  but  his  aim  was  not  to 
secure  applause  for  himself,  but  to  bring  souls  to  Jesus.  He 
liad  learned  the  value  of  the  soul  by  the  redemption-price 
paid  for  it  on  the  cross.    The  vision  of  the  man  of  Macedonia 


53 

praying  him  to  "  come  over  and  help  us,"  at  once  decided  him 
to  start  for  Philippi,  though  he  knew  not  what  perils  were  in 
the  way.  The  sight  at  Athens,  of  "  a  city  wholly  given  to 
idolatry,"  stirred  his  inmost  soul.  As  he  thought  of  the  con- 
dition of  his  unbelieving  Jewish  brethren,  he  had  "  great 
heaviness  and  continual  sorrow  of  heart."  Did  he  find  blinded 
pagans  offering  their  ignorant  homage  at  the  altar  of  "  an  un- 
known god  ?"  to  them  he  preached  the  Gospel  which  reveals 
the  true  object  of  worship.  Did  he  encounter  men  with  hearts 
hardened  through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin  ?  he  knew  that 
Christ  alone  could  heal  the  maladies  and  soften  the  hardness 
of  their  rebel  souls.  He  knew  that  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  met 
the  necessities  of  every  human  being,  and  was  able  to  overcome 
the  resistance  and  slay  the  enmity  of  its  most  obstinate  foes. 

In  every  age  moralists  and  philosophers  have  tried  in  various 
ways  to  elevate  the  character  of  fallen  man,  but  all  their 
endeavors  have  proved  utterly  abortive  ;  and  no  wonder,  for 
they  have  ignored  his  condition  as  a  guilty  and  lost  sinner. 
They  have  attempted  to  raise  a  superstructure  of  excellence " 
upon  a  false  foundation.  See  how  Paul  brings  his  great  theme 
to  bear  upon  the  point.  "  We  thus  judge  that  if  one  died  for 
all,  then  were  all  dead."  He  began  at  the  fountain-head  when 
he  would  purify  the  streams.  We  must  begin  with  the  heart, 
if  we  would  affect  the  life  and  change  the  character.  But 
how  shall  we  reach  and  renovate  the  rebel  heart  ? 

"  In  vain  we  search,  in  vain  we  try- 
Till  Jesus  brings  his  Gospel  nigh." 

Paul  knew  this  well.  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of 
Clirist,"  said  he  to  the  Romans,  "  for  it  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  who  believeth,  for  therein  is  the 
righteousness  of  God  revealed  from  faith  to  faith."  He  knew 
this  was  the  only  truth  that  could  penetrate  the  soul  indurated 
by  sin,  bring  peace  to  the  wounded  conscience,  inspire  a  hope 
of  pardon  and  a  love  of  holiness.  This  judgment  of  the  Apos- 
tle was  founded  both  upon  experience  and  observation.  He 
knew  that  the  Gospel  was  powerful  to  save,  for  it  had  saved 


54 

Jam;  it  had  opened  his  eyes,  and  had  turned  him  from  dark- 
ness to  light,  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God  ;  it  had  made 
liim  dead  to  the  world,  and  alive  only  to  God. 

What  he  saw  in  others  confirmed  the  same  glorious  truth, 
that  there  is  salvation  in  Christ,  and  in  him  alone ;  that  there 
can  be  no  growth  in  goodness  but  as  there  is  growth  in  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  and  him  crucified.  And  therefore,  as  his 
liearfs  desire  and  prayer  to  God  was  that  his  fellow-creatures 
mje-ht  be  saved,  he  determined  to  make  Christ  crucified  the 
exclusive  theme  of  his  preaching.  And  who  that  looks  at  the 
results  of  his  ministry,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  finished 
his  course,  can  refrain  to  join  him  in  saying,  "  I  too  am  deter- 
mined not  to  know  any  thing  save  Christ  crucified"  ?  Corinth 
hei-self  was  the  witness  of  Paul's  success.  "  Ye  are  our  epis- 
tle," said  he  to  the  Christians  there,  "  known  and  read  of  all 
men."  "Ye  are  washed,  ye  are  sanctified,  ye  are  justified  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God." 
But— 

2.  Paul  was  thus  determined,  because  he  aimed  to  promote 
the  glory  of  God.  This  is  man's  chief  end.  The  prayer  of 
Christ,  is  that  of  every  child  of  God.  "  Father,  glorify  thy 
name."  This  was  eminently  true  of  Paul.  "  Whether,  there- 
fore," said  he  to  the  Corinthians,  "  ye  eat  or  drink,  do  all  to 
the  glory  of  God."  And  you,  who  are  familiar  with  his  epis- 
tles, know  how  thoroughly  pervaded  they  all  are  with  tin? 
sentiment. 

Now  it  was  by  the  faithful  exhibition  of  Christ  crucified 
that  he  could  most  efiectually  secure  this  end.  The  influence 
of  tills  great  theme  on  the  minds  of  those  who  received  it 
was  such  as  to  bring  the  highest  honor  to  the  divine  name. 
The  Apostle  himself  was  a  striking  illustration  of  this  fact. 
When  he  became  a  preacher  of  the  faith  which  he  had  once 
labored  to  destroy,  the  churches  of  Judea  heard  of  the  change 
and  "glorified  God  in  him,"  This  is  the  truth,  which,  above 
all  others,  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  glorifier  of  Christ,  employs  in 
the  conveitjion  of  sinners,  and  which  ho  applies  with  sovereign 


55 

energy  to  the  heart.  The  wisdom,  power,  love,  and  goodness 
of  God  are  no  where  so  innstrionsly  manifested  as  in  the  spec- 
tacle of  a  soul  rescued  from  hell,  restored  to  the  divine  image, 
invested  with  a  title  to  heaven,  and  a  meetness  for  the  heritage 
of  saints.  And  because  such  results  flowed  from  the  preach- 
ing of  Christ  crucified,  and  from  nothing  else,  Paul  resolved 
to  make  this  his  only  theme.     But — 

3.  Paul  thus  determined,  in  order  that  he  might  maintain 
his  fidelity,  and  be  found  blameless  in  the  day  of  Christ. 

This  consideration,  doubtless,  powerfully  influenced  his 
mind,  as  it  should  the  mind  of  every  Christian  minister.  It 
is  the  duty  of  a  servant  sent  with  a  message  from  his  master, 
to  deliver  it  just  as  he  received  it,  ISTow  Paul  was  Christ's 
servant,  and  he  was  bound  to  deliver  Christ's  message  exactly 
as  it  was  given  to  him.  His  own  likes  and  dislikes  had  no- 
thing to  do  with  the  matter  ;  neither  was  he  at  liberty  to  con- 
sider whether  something  else  might  not  be  more  suitable  to 
those  whom  he  was  called  to  address ;  the  simple  question 
was :  "  What  has  Christ  commanded  me  to  preach  ?"  When 
the  Lord  called  him  to  the  ministry,  a  great  trust  had  been 
committed  to  him ;  he  was  charged  to  testify  of  Christ,  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  and  therefore  "  necessity  was  laid  upon  him,  yea 
woe  was  unto  him  if  he  did  not  preach"  it.  He  was  a  steward 
of  the  mysteries  of  God,  and  as  such  he  was  required  to  be 
faithful.  He  was  a  builder,  "  together  with  God,"  in  the 
erection  of  a  spiritual  edifice,  and  as  such  it  behooved  him 
perpetually  to  work  as  under  the  eye  of  his  divine  Master, 
building  on  the  true  foundation,  and  using  for  the  superstruc- 
ture only  the  "  living  stones"  which  grace  supplied.  He  was 
a  herald  of  Christ,  and  as  such,  it  became  him  boldly  to  pro- 
claim the  titles  of  his  heavenly  King,  And  he  did  it,  No 
obstacles,  no  persecutions  turned  him  aside.  None  of  these 
things  moved  him,  neither  counted  he  his  life  dear  unto  him- 
self tiiat  he  might  finish  his  course  with  joy  and  the  ministry 
he  had  received  from  tlie  Lord  Jesus.  In  all  his  ministrations 
he  remembered  that  ministers  and  people  would  one  day  con- 


56 

iront  each  other  before  the  bar  of  God,  and  that  the  condemna- 
tion of  an  unfaithful  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  would  be  of  all 
othere  the  most  terrible.  He  desired  so  to  fulfill  his  commis- 
sion that  he  might  abide  the  scrutiny  of  that  day.  He 
preached  with  the  future  world  full  in  view,  watching  as  one 
wlio  must  give  account.  *'  Woe  is  me,"  said  he,  "  if  I  preach 
not  the  Gospel."  Wiien  God  made  inquisition  for  blood,  he 
meant  that  none  should  be  found  in  his  skirts.  Therefore  ho 
kept  steadily  to  liis  one  great  theme  ;  he  went  through  the 
world  preaching  Christ,  so  that  when  at  last  he  gave  up  his 
account,  he  might  be  able  to  say,  in  words  uttered  prophetic- 
ally by  his  Master :  "  I  have  preached  righteousness  in  the 
great  congregation,  lo,  I  have  not  refrained  my  lips,  O  Lord  ! 
thou  knowest.  I  have  not  hid  thy  righteousness  within  my 
heart;  I  have  declared  thy  faithfulness."  (Psalm  40  :  9,  10.) 
My  brethren,  it  was  not  necessary  for  me  to  introduce  this 
subject  by  showing  its  applicability  to  the  circumstances  ot 
our  present  assemblage.  I  stand  here  to-day  as  the  pastor  sol- 
emnly installed  over  you  by,  the  proper  authorities  of  the 
Church.  I  am  here  not  only  to  preach,  but  to  have  the  care 
of  souls ;  to  look  upon  you  not  as  strangers,  but  as  my  owi> 
people.  I  feel,  and  I  desire  you  to  feel  the  deep  responsibility 
of  my  office  and  my  position.  I  do  not  regret  that  I  am  here. 
It  was  not  without  much  deliberation,  consultation  witli  my 
ministerial  brethren,  and  fervent  prayer  to  God  for  guidance, 
that  my  mind  was  brought  to  acquiesce  in  what  I  now  believe 
was  my  duty.  You  will  not  be  surprised  at  the  conflict  through 
which  I  have  been  called  to  pass,  when  I  tell  you  that  God 
cast  my  lot  among  a  most  affectionate  and  kiiul-hearted  peo- 
ple, with  whom  for  almost  twenty-two  years  I  lived  in  uninter- 
rupted harmony — a  harmony  which  to  my  knowledge  was 
never  broken  by  a  single  jealousy ;  a  people,  among  whom 
God  was  i)leased  to  bless  my  labors,  and  who,  witliout  a  dis- 
senting voice,  besought  me  not  to  leave  them.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  entire  unanimity  of  your  call,  and  the  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances under  which  it  was  given,  made  it  impossible  for 


me  to  decline  it.  And  it  was  relief  at  last,  when  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God  the  decision  of  the  question  which  tried  me  as 
I  had  never  been  tried  before,  devolved  npon  others  rather 
than  myself.  My  brethren  of  the  Chassis  sent  me  here.  And 
I  must  say  that  the  people  of  Hopewell,  after  the  first  gush  of 
disappointment  was  over,  not  only  acquiesced  in  the  disposal 
of  Providence,  but  crowned  the  kindnesses  of  more  than 
twenty  years,  by  sending  me  to  you  with  their  prayers.  Never 
have  I  heard  more  earnest  supplications  for  this  church  than 
those  offered  in  our  weekly  prayer-meetings  at  Hopewell, 
uttered  in  sentences  often  broken  by  deep  emotion.  I  would 
have  you  catch  the  spirit  of  those  prayers,  and  send  it  back  to 
heaven  for  a  blessing  upon  them.  The  generous  kindness  you 
have  shown  to  me  and  mine  have  made  me  almost  forget  the 
sacrifices  which  I  felt  I  must  make,  not  in  coming  here,  but  in 
going  any  where.  Your  kind  courtesy  is  appreciated.  And 
the  heartiness  with  which  you  have  given  yourselves  to  this 
new  work  is  not  only  a  pledge  of  its  prosperity,  but  an  evi- 
dence to  your  pastor  that  he  will  not  have  to  stand  or  to  labor 
alone. 

Brethren,  this  is  an  important  moment,  not  to  me  only,  but 
to  yourselves,  your  families,  your  children,  your  neighbors. 
You  are  beginning  a  new  era  in  your  religious  history.  Xew 
duties  will  devolve  upon  you,  as  well  as  new  hopes  be  excited 
in  you.  I  ask  that  this  may  be  a  day  of  solemn  dedication  of 
people  as  well  as  pastor  to  Jesus  Christ.  We  have  jointly  put 
our  hand  to  the  work.  I  have  made,  and  do  make  again  this 
day,  in  the  presence  of  you  all,  a  solemn  surrender  of  the  fa- 
culties of  my  mind  and  the  energies  of  my  body  to  my  Lord 
and  Master,  to  be  sanctified  and  employed  by  him  in  winning- 
souls  to  him.  This  is  my  ambition,  this  is  the  high  prize  I  aim 
to  possess — souls,  who  shall  be  to  you  and  me  crowns  of  re- 
joicing in  the  day  of  Christ.  Let  every  heart  in  this  assembly 
say.  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  Every  man,  and 
every  woman,  must  have  a  share  in  the  labor,  if  they  have 
given  themselves  up  to  Christ.  '  There  must  be  no  drones  in 


58 

this  spiritual  hive.  The  times  demand  industry  and  effort, 
and  each  of  you  must  be  content  to  work  with  your  minister, 
for  God.  Kemember  tliat  love  to  God  and  love  to  souls  are 
among  the  first  elements  of  a  church's  prosperity.  Let  there 
be  too  a  spirit  of  prayer  ever  exhibited  ;  prayer  which  looks 
for  the  results  of  its  pleadings;  prayer  which  counts  with 
confidence  on  the  coming  blessing.  Then  may  we  be  sure  that 
tlic  Lord  will  remember  this  vine  which  his  own  hand  hath 
planted  ;  your  minister's  heart  will  be  strengthened,  his  heart 
will  be  cheered,  you  will  see  him  happy,  and  you  yourselves 
be  the  sharers  of  his  joy. 

Brethren,  I  have  to-day  set  before  you  the  great  theme  of 
my  preaching.  You  have  called  mc  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
you,  and,  God  helping  me,  I  mean  to  preach  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus.  Other  topics  might  have  the  charm  of  novelty, 
might  attract  crowds  to  hear  the  preacher,  but  this  is  the  truth 
that  draws  men  to  Christ,  and  saves  their  souls.  I  mean  it  to 
be  understood  that  he  who  comes  here,  must  come  to  have  his 
soul  fed  with  the  living  bread  that  is  from  heaven.  I  have  no 
doubt  either  as  to  the  wisdom  or  the  policy  even  of  such 
preaching.  I  wish  to  preach  Christ,  and  so  to  preach  him,  that 
come  who  may  into  our  assembly,  they  will  feel  that  this 
church  is  set  for  the  defense  of  the  Gospel.  Tes,  I  wish  to 
preach  Christ,  in  the  divinity  of  his  person ;  Christ,  in  the 
authority  of  his  mission  ;  Christ,  in  the  holiness  of  his  exam- 
ple ;  Christ,  in  the  tenderness  of  his  compassion ;  Christ,  in  the 
vicariousncss  of  his  sufferings  ;  Christ,  in  the  prevalence  of  his 
intercession ;  Clirist,  in  the  glories  of  his  royalty ;  Christ,  in 
the  richness  of  the  blessings  imparted  to  those  whom  he  has 
accepted  and  promised  to  bring  to  the  fullness  of  joy  in  heaven. 
Yes,  brethren,  Clirist  is  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  first 
and  the  last ;  and  he  who  aspires  to  the  service  of  such  a  Mas- 
ter, and  would  meet  its  high  responsibilities,  must  stand  near 
to  the  altar  where  still  is  found  the  sprinkled  blood  of  Ilim 
wlio  was  there  a  victim  and  a  sacrifice,  and  then  utter  the 


59 

solemn  vow,  to  be  heard  on  eartli  and  in  heaven  :  "  I  am  de- 
termined to  know  nothing  save  Jesns  Christ — crucified." 

You  must  not,  therefore,  complain  if  there  be  some  little 
sameness  in  our  ministrations,  if  old  truths  are  repeated,  "  line 
upon  line,  precept  upon  precept."  And  yet  there  should  be 
to  us  a  charm  of  novelty  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  The  theme 
is  inexhaustible.  It  is  a  treasury  out  of  which  you  may  per- 
petually bring  things  new  as  well  as  old.  You  do  not  com- 
plain because  bread  is  placed  every  day  upon  your  table.  The 
thirsty  man  never  complains  of  the  ceaseless  murmurs  of  the 
cooling  brook  as  it  pursues  its  way  beside  his  path.  The  light 
of  heaven  is  never  unwelcome  to  us,  as  morning  after  morning 
it  dawns  upon  us.  And  that  sermon  should  not  fail  to  awaken 
interest,  which  exhibits  Him  who  is  the  true  bread  and  water 
of  life,  "  the  true  light  that  lighteth  every  man  that  comes  into 
the  world."  Every  one  to  whom  the  name  of  Jesus  is  as  oint- 
ment poured  forth,  will  rejoice  to  hear  it  pronounced  by  the 
preacher's  lips ;  he  will  always  come  to  the  sanctuary  with 
the  hope  and  desire  of  getting  some  fresh  view  of  the  grace 
and  the  glory  of  Him  whom  his  soul  loveth  ;  and  he  will  never 
be  better  pleased  than  when  he  sees  his  pastor  standing  be- 
neath the  cross,  and  gathering  fruits  from  the  tree  of  life,  and 
as  he  offers  them  to  the  people,  begging  them  to  eat  and  live 
forever. 

This  infant  church  has  no  apology  to  offer  for  its  existence. 
It  is  here  by  the  deliberate  and  prayerful  choice  of  those  who 
had  a  right  to  resolve  that  they  would  erect  another  house  for 
the  worship  of  God  our  Saviour.  You  will  have  no  doubt 
either  of  the  need  of  a  new  church,  or  of  the  fitness  of  its 
location,  when  I  tell  you  that  other  parties  stood  ready  to 
occupy  the  ground  if  we  had  abandoned  it.  And  now  that 
we  have  put  our  hands  to  the  work,  they  bid  us  God  speed. 
We  have  no  wish  to  draw  away  the  members  of  sister  churches, 
where  the  truth  is  preached  and  souls  are  fed  with  living 
bread.  Far  from  us  be  such  an  aim.  No.  We  seek  first  of  all 
to  provide  for  the  growing  want§  of  our  own  communion,  and 


60 

at  the  same  time  to  gather  in  those  who  are  as  sheep  without  a 
sheplierd.  To  all  who  may  prefer  our  company,  or  our  church 
order  and  polity,  we  say  :  "  Come  with  us  and  we  will  do  you 
good."  We  are  thankful  for  the  expressions  of  good-will  that 
have  been  made  by  Christians  of  every  denomination  with 
whom  we  have  been  brought  into  contact,  and  we  heartily 
reciprocate  their  love.  We  give  a  cordial  welcome  to  all  who 
are  inclined  to  worship  with  us  statedly  or  occasionally  ;  and 
if  we  do  not  greatly  deceive  ourselves,  we  are  sure  that  they 
will  never  find  occasion  of  grief  by  the  undue  glorification  of 
ourselves,  or  of  "  our  Church,"  or  by  ofiensive  allusions  to 
othei-s.  We  mean  to  preach  the  truth  freely,  fully,  boldly,  but 
always  "  in  love,"  in  the  exercise  of  the  charity  which  hopeth 
all  things,  and  of  the  Christian  courtesy  which  should  never 
be  absent  from  a  Christian  pulpit. 

And  now,  brethren,  the  time  is  come  to  build  the  Lord'y 
house ;  and  the  voice  of  our  God  is  heard,  saying  with  a  spe- 
cial emphasis  to  us :  "  Build  the  house,  and  I  will  take  pleas- 
ure in  it,  and  I  will  be  glorified,  saith  the  Lord ;  from  this  day 
will  I  bless  you."  (Hag.  1 :  8,  11,  17.)  Yes,  there  is  a  blessing 
in  this  work.  "They  shall  prosper  that  love  thee."  (Psalm 
122  :  6.)  Do  you  lay  the  stones  of  this  building,  in  the  faith 
of  that  Saviour  whom  we  preach,  for  the  glory  of  the  God 
whom  we  serve,  and  ye  shall  yourselves,  at  last,  as  "  precious 
stones,"  as  "  living  stones,"  be  built  into  the  "  temple  made 
without  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  Let  us  not  fear  we 
shall  fail,  but  be  "strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his 
might."  If  fail  we  must  in  our  enterprise,  let  it  be  with  our 
eyes  heavenward  ;  let  it  be  in  the  attitude  in  which  men  never 
failed  before,  "  looking  to  the  hills  whence  cometli  help  ;"  let 
It  be  such  a  failure  as  would  cause  sorrow  in  heaven  and  joy 
in  licll ;  let  it  be  such  a  failure  as— but  why  make  the  need- 
less 8upj)osition  ?  No.  Let  him  who  is  fearful  and  unbelieving 
remove  his  hand  from  the  plough,  and  turn  back,  but  let  all 
who  hope  in  God,  go  ft)rward  and  see  his  salvation. 


61 
SERMON    II. 

THE    PENITENT    THIEF. 

"  And  he  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  king- 
dom. And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  To.day  shalt  thou  be  -jyith 
me  in  Paradise." — Luke  23  :  42,  43. 

The  history  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  while  tabernacling  in 
human  flesh,  is  full  of  wonders.  From  its  commencement  to 
its  close,  it  grows  in  interest,  as  we  discover  the  constantly  in- 
creasing evidences  of  the  divine  character  and  mission  of  Jesus 
of  ]^azareth.  At  Cana  in  Galilee,  where  our  Lord  performed 
his  first  miracle,  by  changing  water  into  wine,  we  see  the  ear- 
liest forth-putting  of  that  power  which  wrought  a  far  more 
marvellous  transformation  when  it  converted  a  dying  thief  into 
a  believing  penitent,  and  the  next  instant  into  an  adoring 
seraph.  In  both  cases  omnipotence  was  demanded  to  effect 
the  result,  but  the  latter  miracle  exhibited  not  only  the  Al- 
mighty power,  but  the  boundless  grace  of  the  Son  of  God. 
The  water  changed  into  wine  at  Cana,  "perished  in  the  using ;" 
but  the  sinner  converted  into  a  new  creature  on  Calvary,  now 
helps  to  swell,  and  will  forever  sing  the  anthem  of  redemp- 
tion in  heaven. 

The  event  brought  before  us  in  the  text  is  the  most  interest- 
ing, the  most  important,  that  can  occur  to  any  human  being — 
it  is  the  salvation  of  a  soul.  An  immortal  on  the  brink  of 
eternity,  sunk  in  sin  and  ready  to  perish,  is  plucked  as  a  brand 
from  the  burning,  and  is  made  an  heir  of  everlasting  life.  It 
was  truly  said  by  our  blessed  Lord,  of  the  fierce  multitude  who 
cried  out,  "  Crucify  him !" — "  They  know  not  what  they  do." 
When  they  placed  him  between  two  thieves,  their  object  was 
to  aggravate  the  shame  and  infamy  of  the  cross ;  but  He  who 
can  cause  even  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him,  converts  the 
insult  of  his  murderers  into  an  occasion  for  a  most  signal  dis- 


02 

play  of  his  omnipotence  and  his  love.  Jesus  had  said  :  "  And 
I  if  I  be  lifted  np,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me."  And  now,  as 
if  to  confirm  that  word,  he  is  no  sooner  nailed  to  the  cross  of 
death,  than  he  draws  one  polluted  soul  to  the  fountain  open 
for  sin  ;  and  as  the  cry,  "  It  is  finished  !"  dies  upon  his  lips,  he 
bears  away  with  him  to  Paradise  one  trophy  of  his  victorious 
o'race,  one  pledge  of  his  triumph  over  death  and  hell. 

In  guiding  your  meditations  upon  these  words,  let  me  direct 
your  attention, 

I.  To  the  person  to  whom  the  prayer  was  addressed 
Here  are  three  crosses,  on  each  of  which  hangs  a  sufferer. 
But  lie  who  is  suspended  on  the  middle  one,  though  to  out- 
ward appearance  only  a  man  like  the  rest,  is  really  a  being  con- 
cerning whom  it  is  said :  "  Let  all  the  angels  of  God  worship 
him."    He  is  the  Holy  One  of  God.    The  prayer  is  presented 
to  the  Lord  of  Glory,  the  great  God  our  Saviour.     But  these 
are  strange  circumstances  in  which  to  find  one  who  could 
claim  these  magnificent  titles.     He  is  despised  and  rejected  of 
men  ;  He  is  dying  a  death  as  ignominious  as  it  is  cruel ;  those 
who  had  been  his  disciples  have  fled— all  of  them,  except  his 
virgin  mother  according  to  the  flesh,  who,  with  a  few  other 
desolate  women,  is  weeping  over  the  mournful  spectacle.     The 
wicked  rabble  exclaim,  in  mockery  :  "  He  saved  othei-s ;  let 
himself  now  come  down  from  the  cross  and  we  will  believe." 
Even  one  of  the  malefactors  at  his  side  repeats  the  taunt,  and 
"railed  on  him,  saying,  If  thou  be  the  Christ,  save  thyself  and 
us."    Never  was  the  glory  of  the  Saviours  divinity  more  com- 
pletely veiled.    The  might  and  the  majesty  which  shone  forth 
«o  illustriously  in  his  miracles,  in  his  feeding  the  hungry  mul- 
titude, stilling  the  tempests,  healing  the  sick,  are  now  obscured 
by  the  dark,  gathering  clouds  of  death.     "  The  kings  of  the 
earth  stood  up,  and  the  rulers  took  counsel  together  (success- 
fully as  it  seemed)  against  the  Lord  and  his  anointed."    (Ps. 
2  :  2.)    But  deep  as  was  the  darkness  which  enveloped  the 
Holy  Jesus,  a  ray  of  his  divine  glory  pierced  it,  and  reached 


63 

at  least  one  poor  sinner,  the  dying  tliief.  To  liini  it  is  the  light 
of  life.  He  confesses  his  guilt,  he  believes,  he  repents,  and  in 
full  assurance  of  faith  prays  :  "  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou 
comest  into  thy  kingdom." 

II.  Who  was  it  that  presented  this  memorable  prayer  ? 
Who  was  it  that  gave  this  striking  confidence  in  Jesus,  at  the 
the  very  moment  when  most  of  those  who  had  known  him 
longest  and  best,  forsook  him  and  fled  ?  Was  it  the  beloved 
disciple  who  had  leaned  on  his  bosom  ?  or  was  it  "  that  other 
disciple,"  who  had  said, "  I  am  ready  to  go  with  thee  to  prison 
and  to  death ;  though  all  be  offended  because  of  thee,  yet  will 
not  I"  ?  Ko ;  it  was  neither  of  these.  It  was  one  who,  per- 
chance, had  never  seen  Jesus,  until  he  beheld  him  at  his 
side  toiling  np  the  ascent  of  Calvary,  bearing  his  cross.  He 
is  one  of  two  malefactors,  whose  condemnation  to  death  for 
their  crimes  was  confessedly  just.  They  had  transgressed  both 
human  and  divine  law,  and  were  now  suffering  the  penalty  of 
their  offenses.  Yet  between  the  two  there  was  a  wide  differ- 
ence in  character,  such  as  often  exists  between  men  who,  be- 
fore the  law,  are  companions  in  guilt  and  in  punishment.  One 
of  them  seems  to  have  been  hardened  in  wickedness,  with  no 
fear  of  a  judgment  to  come,  and  even  amid  the  agonies  of  a 
lingering  and  most  painful  death,  reviled  a  fellow-sufferer, 
who  had  never  done  him  the  slightest  injury  by  word  or  deed. 
He  scoffs  at  goodness,  and  expires  with  a  heart  full  of  evil. 
The  other  seems  profoundly  impressed  with  the  awfulness  of 
his  situation.  He  looks  into  eternity,  now  so  near,  and  fears 
that  when  his  crimes  against  man  and  society  have  been  expi- 
ated by  his  bodily  death,  there  may  be  another  tribunal  before 
which  he  must  appear,  and  that  his  sufferings  on  earth,  how- 
ever painful  and  protracted,  will  not  be  accepted  there  as  an 
atonement  for  his  sins  against  God.  He  is  sensible  of  the  ill 
conduct  of  his  associate,  and  faithfully  rebukes  him  for  it. 
He  has  watched — as  we  may.  well  believe — the  Saviour's  de- 
meanor during  the  awful  scenes  then  enacting,  and  beholds  in 


64 

him  the  fulfillment  of  ancient  prophecy— "he  is  led  as  a  lamb 
to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb, 
so  he  opened  not  his  mouth."  He  listens  with  wonder  to  the 
prayer,  «  Father,  forgive  them,  they  know  not  what  they  do ;" 
it  penetrates  his  soul,  and  prompts  him  to  say  in  his  heart :  "  Is 
not  this  the  Christ?"  The  spirit  of  the  poor  thief  was  gone, 
ere  the  darkened  heavens,  the  quaking  earth,  and  the  rending 
rocks,  compelled  the  confession  of  the  Eoman  centurion  : 
••  Truly,  this  man  was  the  Son  of  God."  But  his  iiiith  had 
needed  no  such  confirmation,  he  had  required  no  such  testi- 
monies to  convince  him  that  he  was  hanging  by  the  side  of 
One  mighty  to  save.  The  Spirit  took  of  the  things  of  Christ 
and  showed  them  unto  him.  And  now  when  the  pulse  of  life 
is  beating  feebly,  and  his  eye  is  growing  dim  in  death,  and 
the  world  is  fading  from  his  view,  he  turns  to  Jesus  with  the 
look  of  faith,  and  breathes  the  prayer  :  "Lord,  remember  me 
when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom." 

in.  Let  us  now  examine  the  prayer  itself.  Probably  it  was 
the  first  prayer  the  poor  thief  had  ever  uttered  ;  certainly  he 
had  never  before  prayed  "  believing,"  and  yet  like  that  of  the 
publican,  it  is  a  model  prayer,  brief,  expressive,  replete  with  a 
sense  of  need,  and  of  Christ's  all-sufficiency.  It  is  a  prayer 
betokening  "repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  As  before  remarked,  it  was  connected  with  a 
confession  of  his  guilt,  and  the  justice  of  the  sentence  which 
doomed  him  to  the  cross.  Mark  how  quickly  he  passes  from 
rebuking  his  companion  to  the  condemnation  of  himself: 
"  Dost  thou  not  fear  God  seeing  thou  art  in  the  same  condem- 
nation, a7id  we  indeed  justly,  for  we  receive  the  due  reward  of 
<mr  deeds?" 

Now,  can  you  read  these  words  and  doubt  that  the  Spirit, 
who  convinces  of  sin,  and  righteousness,  and  of  judgment  to 
come,  was  at  work  in  this  man's  heart  ?  Like  David,  he  ex- 
claimed, "I  acknowledge  my  sin  unto  thee,  and  mine  iniquity 
have  I  not  hid."     His  prayer,  when  duly  considered,  will  ap- 


65 

pear  very  remarkable.  It  implied  on  his  part,  a  firm  belief  in 
the  immortality  of  the  soul.  It  implied  a  deep  conviction  of 
his  need  of  a  Saviour.  He  did  not  suppose,  as  we  have  said, 
that  his  bodily  pains  would  or  could  atone  for  his  guilt  before 
God.  Even  at  the  moment  of  keenest  anguish  he  evidently 
feels  that  this  availed  nothing  with  the  Holy  One,  and  there- 
fore he  seeks  help  from  Him  on  whom  "  help  is  laid."  Tlie 
prayer  implied  a  hope,  if  not  a  conviction,  that  his  case  was 
iiot  absolutely  desperate.  His  situation  might  naturally  have 
led  him  to  despair,  but  his  petition  to  Christ  clearly  evinced 
that  he  had  a  reliance  in  his  mercy.  Often  had  our  Lord 
been  asked  to  heal  the  maladies  of  the  body,  but  few  if  any  of 
those  who  came  to  him  besought  him  that  their  souls  might 
"  prosper  and  be  in  health."  The  poor  thief  begs  only  for 
spiritual  blessings ;  he  did  not  ask  that  his  life  might  be  pro- 
longed ;  he  did  not  ask  that  the  tortures  of  the  cross  might  be 
alleviated  or  shortened,  but  only  that  his  soul  might  be  saved, 
that  he  might  be  remembered  by  Christ  when  he  entered  into 
his  kingdom. 

This  prayer  also  implied  a  conviction  that  Christ  is  a  divine 
Saviour.  Our  Lord  had  claimed  to  be  a  king — ijot  such  a 
king,  indeed,  as  the  Jews  expected  and  desired — and  for  this 
reason  he  was  accused,  condemned,  crucified.  Yet,  there  on 
the  cross  did  this  poor,  dying,  but  now  believing  thief,  recog- 
nize the  divine  dignity  of  his  person,  and  confess  him  to  be  the 
promised  King  of  Israel.  How  rapidly  did  he  perceive  and 
embrace  the  truth,  under  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Ghost ! 
But  a  moment  ago,  he  simply  acknowledges  that  Jesus  was  an 
innocent  sufferer ;  now,  he  calls  him  Zord.  Though  like  him- 
self nailed  to  a  cross,  the  dying  thief  addresses  him  as  if  he 
had  been  seated  on  his  throne,  and  renders  to  him  adoring- 
homage  as  the  Lord  of  Life,  the  Sovereign  of  the  invisible 
world.  He  sees  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer's  divinity  shining 
through  all  his  present  abasement,  and  with  a  faith  such  as 

had  not  been  seen  in  Israel,  the  penitent  thief  commits  into  his 
5 


66 

liands  his  interests  for  eternity.  Yes,  here  was  great  faith, 
here  was  a  faith  greater  even  than  that  possessed  by  the 
apostles  at  the  time.  "We  trusted,"  said  they,  in  a  tone 
which  showed  that  their  trust  was  gone,  "  that  this  was  He 
who  should  have  redeemed  Israel."  The  poor  thief,  taught  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  formed  a  juster  estimate  of  the  character  of 
Jesus,  than  they  did  who  had  "  companied  with  him"  so  long. 
He  seems  to  have  comprehended,  at  once,  the  fact  that  the 
shame  of  the  cross  was  the  condition  of  the  "  seat  at  the  right 
hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high;"  that  the  Captain  of  Salvation 
must  be  made  perfect  by  suffering. 

Again,  this  prayer  was  a  testimony  to  the  Messiahship  of 
Jesus,  as  well  as  his  divinity.  It  expressed  his  belief  in  the 
efficacy  of  Christ's  blood  for  pardon  and  salvation,  and  that 
through  it  alone  can  these  blessings  be  obtained.  We  chal- 
lenge then,  for  the  faith  of  this  poor  thief  the  highest  consider- 
ation and  respect.  I  know  that  millions  of  God's  people  have 
since  had,  and  now  have,  "like  precious  faith;"  but  faith 
in  whom  ?  In  Him  who  was*"  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God 
with  power,  by  his  resurrection  from  the  dead ;"  in  Hina  who 
was  proved  by  many  infallible  signs  to  have  been  exalted  a 
Prince  and  a  Saviour.  But  look  at  the  faith  of  the  dying 
malefactor.  He  believed  in  the  Crucified  One  at  the  very 
moment  when  all  the  disciples,.in  dismay  and  despair,  forsook 
him  and  fled  to  their  homes ;  and  when  other  hearts  failed  and 
fainted,  he  trusted  the  dying  Jesus  with  his  eternal  all.  Yes  I 
believing  thief,  thou  art  a  miracle  of  grace  !  a  glorious  monu- 
ment of  the  all-conquering  energy  of  faith  ! 

True  fiiith,  it  has  been  justly  said,  is  always  humble.  Mark 
the  humility  displayed  in  the  petition  of  the  thief.  He  does 
not,  like  the  mother  of  Zebedee's  children,  ask  for  a  seat  either 
on  the  riglit  or  the  left  hand  of  Christ  in  his  kingdom.  No.  He 
only  begs  to  be  remembered.  It  is  such  a  request  as  Joseph 
made  of  the  chief  butler,  whose  restoration  to  royal  favor  he 
predicted — "Think  on  me  when  it  shall  be  well  with  thee." 


67 

What  lowliness  is  here !  He  aspires  only  to  be  "  remem- 
bered." And,  oh !  how  sweet  and  sure  a  hope  he  had  that 
Jesus  would  not  forget  him,  when  "  glorified  with  the  glory 
which  he  had  with  the  Father  before  the  world  was."  The 
chief  butler,  amid  the  recovered  joys  of  the  palace,  might  for- 
get that  poor  Joseph  was  still  in  prison  ;  but  Jesus  the  Saviour 
would  not  forget  the  poor  thief  who  trusted  in  him  amid  the 
shame  and  the  agonies  of  the  cross.  Is  there  a  heart  here  that 
will  not  adopt  and  repeat  the  dying  malefactor's  prayer, 
"  Lord,  remember  me  ?"  Do  we  not  need  as  much  as  he,  to 
be  remembered  of  Jesus  ?  If  you  do  not  go  to  Jesus  in  faith, 
you  will  be  forgotten  by  him,  and  if  forgotten,  you  are  lost  for- 
ever. But  if,  renouncing  every  other  hope  and  refuge,  you 
come  to  him,  and  cast  yourself  upon  his  mercy,  just  as  the 
poor  dying  thief  did,  you  will  find,  to  your  eternal  joy,  that  no 
one  who  asked  in  penitential' faith,  ever  asked  in  vain,  "Lord, 
remember  me." 

lY.  The  answer  of  our  Lord.  The  converted  thief  having 
offered  his  single  and  brief  petition,  if  I  may  so  speak,  rested 
his  case.  He  awaits  the  issue  of  his  prayer.  N^or  did  he  wait 
long.  Christ,  who  had  never  refused  any  who  came  to  him, 
seeking  relief  from  bodily  disease,  now  evinces  equal  readiness 
to  heal  the  maladies  of  the  soul.  He  grants  the  prayer  of  the 
thief  without  a  moment's  hesitation.  The  faith  that  was  so 
noble  was  most  promptly  honored.  The  sin  was  pardoned,  the 
penitent  was  received,  his  soul  was  saved.  The  instant  and 
gracious  answer  is  :  "  Verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  this  day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise."  Jesus  spoke  as  one  fully  con- 
scious of  his  right  to  appoint  him  a  place  in  his  Father's  king- 
dom, and  of  his  ability  to  fulfill  his  promise.  "  Yerily^''  says 
he,  a  term  of  assurance,  "/say  unto  thee" — the  word  of  a 
sovereign,  whose  will  shall  be  done. 

Observe,  too,  that  the  Saviour  in  his  reply  does  not  utter  a 
syllable  of  reproach  against  the  petitioner,  nor  does  he  even 
remind  him  of  the  crimes  which  had  brought  him  to  the  cross. 


68 

"No ;  the  moment  that  he  confesses  with  sincere  penitence  his 
sins,  and  looks  with  the  eye  of  faith  to  his  redeeming  God,  he 
becomes  partaker  of  a  free  salvation,  his  transgressions  are  for- 
gotten, his  iniquities  are  covered.  What  did  Christ  demand  from 
him  as  the  condition  of  his  being  saved  ?  Nothing,  absolutely 
nothing,  in  the  way  of  price  or  merit.  As  the  poor  thief  saw 
the  blood  that  trickled  from  the  pierced  hands  and  feet  of  the 
innocent  sufferer  expiring  at  his  side,  he  recognized  its  power 
to  cleanse  from  all  sin  ;  he  saw  that — 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood, 
Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins, 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood, 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains." 

There,  on  the  cross  to  which  he  was  nailed,  and  on  which  he 
writhed  in  torture,  was  he  taught  to  sing  the  anthem  which 
he  is  now  singing  in  the  Paradise  of  God — "  Oh  !  to  grace  how 
great  a  debtor !"  It  is  by  the  same  free  grace  alone  that  an_y 
of  us  can  be  saved.  "  Not  by  works  of  righteousness  which 
we  have  done,  but  by  his  mercy,  he  hath  saved  us."  You  must 
come  as  poor,  lost,  perishing  sinners,  to  Ilim  who  "  calls  not 
the  righteous  but  sinners  to  repentance." 

But  the  answer  of  our  Lord  exhibits  the  fullness  as  well  as 
the  freeness  of  his  grace.  It  illustrates  and  confirms  that  de- 
claration of  the  Apostle  :  "  He  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abun- 
dantly above  all  that  we  can  ask  or  think."  The  penitent 
thief  asks  only  to  .be  remembered^  and  the  Saviour  promises, 
not  only  that  he  shall  not  be  forgotten,  but  that  he  shall  be, 
that  very  day,  Mith  Himself  in  the  world  of  the  glorified. 
And  so  the  experience  of  God's  people  proves  that  Christ  is 
not  only  better  to  them  than  their  fears,  but  better  even  than 
their  prayers.  AVhen  Solomon  asked  of  God  wisdom  rather 
than  long  life,  great  riches,  or  victory  over  his  enemies,  he  was 
told  that  he  should  not  only  get  the  wisdom  for  which  he 
prayed,  but  should  have  beside  the  wealth,  the  honor,  the 
length  of  days  for  which  he  had  not  prayed.    So  in  one  of  the 


69 

parables  of  Christ,  a  servant  arrested  for  debt,  falls  down  at 
his  lord's  feet,  begging  for  patience  only,  and  obtains  complete 
forgiveness  of  the  debt.  The  prodigal  son  when  he  has  "  come 
to  himself,"  resolves  to  return  to  his  father's  house,  and  to  ask 
merely  the  position  of  an  hired  servant ;  but  when  his  father 
sees  him  afar  off,  he  runs  to  meet  him,  clasps  him  to  his  heart, 
and  brings  forth  the  best  robes  in  his  house  to  supersede  the 
poor  wanderer's  miserable  rags.  Parental  love  among  men 
does  not  always  go  this  length,  and  the  beautiful  scene  pic- 
tured in  parable  is  not  often  realized  on  earth ;  but  it  does 
strikingly  exhibit  the  method  of  God's  dealing  with  his  prodi- 
gals, who  come  back  to  Him  from  whom  they  have  revolted. 
They  ask  for  mercy,  and  they  get  not  it  alone,  but  they  "  are 
washed,  they  are  sanctified,  they  are  justified  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God."  And  so  the 
penitent  thief  is  assured  that  he  shall  be  that  day  with  Jesus 
in  Paradise. 

What  are  we  to  understand  by  Paradise  ?  Doubtless 
heaven,  and  not,  as  some  have  argued,  an  intermediate  state." 
If  we  will  allow  Scripture  to  be  its  own  interpreter,  there  can 
be  no  room  for  doubt  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  Master  when 
he  spake  of  his  heavenly  kingdom  under  the  name  of  Para- 
dise. The  word  occurs  three  times  in  the  l^ew  Testament. 
The  first  place  in  which  it  is  found  is  our  text ;  the  second 
is  in  2  Cor.  12  :  4,  where  Paul  gives  a  grand  but  mysterious 
account  of  his  communication  with  the  heavenly  world  :  "  I 
knew  a  man  in  Christ  about  fourteen  years  ago  (whether  in 
the  body  I  can  not  tell,  or  whether  out  of  the  body  I  can  not 
tell,  God  knoweth)  such  a  man  caught  up  to  the  third  heaven^'' 
that  is,  the  highest  heaven,  the  place  of  the  throne  of  glory. 
"  Such  an  one  was  caught  up  into  Paradise.^''  Comparing 
these  passages  together,  the  conclusion  is  unavoidable  that  the 
Third  Heaven  and  Paradise  are  one  and  the  same  place.  And 
this  view  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  the  only  remaining  text  in 
which  the  term  is  used,  Rev.  2  :  T :  "To  him  that  overcometh 
will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the 


70 

Paradise  of  God."  This  is  part  of  the  message  of  Jesus  by 
liis  servant  John,  to  tlie  Church  of  Ephesus.  What  Paradise 
can  be  meant,  unless  it  be  the  heaven  where  Jesus  dwells  ? 

This  view  also  accords  with  the  general  tenor  of  the  word 
of  God,  which  teaches  us  that  the  Christian,  when  he  departs 
this  life,  coes  to  be  with  Christ ;  that  to  be  absent  from  the 
body  is  to  be  present  with  the  Lord.  This,  then,  was  the  happy 
home  upon  which  Jesus  fixes  the  hopes  of  his  dying  convert, 
so  suddenly  snatched  from  the  jaws  of  eternal  death,  and  so 
soon  to  enter  within  the  gates  of  the  eternal  city.  A  glorious 
exchange  I  but  one  which  all  shall  experience  who  are  led  to 
commit  the  keeping  of  their  souls  into  Jesus'  hands  "  as  unto 
a  faithful  Creator."  The}'^  shall  go,  without  exception,  to  join 
that  blessed  company,  who  constitute  the  Saviour's  crown  and 
the  Saviour's  joy.  Jesus  declared  to  the  penitent  thief  that 
he  should  be  in  His  company  /  "  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in  Pa- 
radise." He  had  promised  his  disciples — holding  it  up  to  them 
as  the  very  complement  of  their  bliss — that  they  should  be 
"  with  him^  where  he  wasP  What  richer  blessing  can  the 
penitent  desire  ?  what  higher  promise  can  the  Saviour  give  ? 
It  embraces  every  thing  the  saint  can  need  or  wish.  The 
presence  of  Christ  is  at  once  the  glory  and  the  felicity  of 
heaven.  Where  he  is,  sin  and  sorrow  must  be  forever  ex- 
cluded. Where  he  is,  there  every  conceivable  source  of  hap- 
piness must  be  found,  perfect  in  degree  and  endless  in  dura- 
tion. Brethren,  let  us  try  our  own  anticipations  of  heaven,  by 
the  strength  of  our  desires  for  the  presence  of  Jesus.  Let  us 
long  for  heaven  not  only  because  we  shall  there  rejoin  the 
loved  ones  who  died  in  the  Lord,  not  only  because  death  shall 
never  enter  tliosc  abodes  of  bliss,  not  only  because  we  shall 
tliere  find  rest  from  all  earthly  toils,  but  also  and  preeminently 
because  we  shall  there  behold  the  fiicc  of  Jesus,  and  have  im- 
mediate fellowship  with  Him,  the  chief  among  ten  thousand 
who  is  altogether  lovely.  Blessed  is  the  man,  who  now 
on  earth,  and  in  the  prospect  of  heaven  can  truly  say :  "  He 
is  all  my  salvation,  and  all  my  desire." 


71 

But  the  language  of  the  promise  to  this  dying  penitent  is  : 
^'-To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me."  That  very  day  the  glorious 
blessing  should  be  his.  Ere  the  lengthening  shadows  gave 
token  of  the  approach  of  evening,  or  night  had  thrown  her 
dark  mantle  over  Calvary,  this  poor  sinner,  now  justified  and 
pardoned,  should  also  be  glorified.  The  word  of  Christ  assures 
him  of  this  result.  And  what  a  tide  of  glory  must  have  be- 
gun to  rise  upon  his  soul  as  the  cheering  accents  fell  upon  his 
ear.  True,  the  sacred  record  does  not  inform  us  Jiow  the  dying 
thief  received  the  tidings,  but  we  may  well  believe  that  to  him 
the  cross  had  ceased  to  torture,  that  death  had  lost  its  stino;, 
and  that  even  if  the  Koman  governor  had  proposed  to  stay  the 
execution  and  take  him  down  from  the  crucifix,  his  instant 
reply  would  have  been :  "  IsTo,  no,  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ 
is  far  better."  He  lived  long  enough  to  notice  the  mysterious 
darkness  which  gathered  over  the  land,  as  if  to  shroud  the 
awful  scene ;  he  heard  those  triumphant  words  of  his  expiring 
Lord,  "  It  is  finished,"  and  then  as  a  first  fruit  of  that  finished 
work,  his  redeemed  spirit  passed  above,  with  Him  who  saved 
it,  into  the  paradise  of  God.  Well  might  there  be  joy  in 
heaven  over  this  monument  of  grace,  well  might  angels  ask 
in  delightful  wonder:  "Is  not  this  a  brand  plucked  from  the 
fire  ?"  He  who  a  few  hours  since  was  a  hardened  malefactor, 
is  now  one  of  the  saints  in  light ! 

In  conclusion,  let  me  remind  you  that  this  history  warrants 
no  man  to  delay  life's  great  work  until  life's  last  hour.  Let  no 
one  infer  from  what  has  been  said,  that  God  will  be  especially 
glorified  by  saving  him  when  at  the  last  gasp,  and  that  he  may 
therefore  continue  in  sin,  that  grace  may  abound.  jSTo.  He- 
member  that  this  instance  of  what  may  be  called  a  death-bed 
repentance  stands  alone.  As  has  been  well  said :  "  We  have 
one  instance,  that  none  may  despair ;  we  have  hut  one  that  none 
may  presume."  This  case  bears  no  resemblance  to  that  of  the 
man  who,  conscious  of  his  need  of  repentance,  deliberately 
postpones  the  duty  until  the  approach  of  death  renders  farther 
delay  impossible.    Neither  does  it  belong  to  the  class  of  cases 


72 

(not  unfrequent)  in  which  men,  after  a  long  •  career  of  crime, 
have  at  last  professed  penitence,  perhaps  sincerely,  when 
doomed  to  the  scaffold.  Far  be  it. from  me  to  deny  that  there 
may  be  genuine  conversion  in  the  last  hours  of  life.  Yet  the 
general  fact  is,  that  men  die  as  they  have  lived  ;  that  they  die 
without  liope,  if  they  have  lived  without  God.  It  is  the  ex- 
treme of  folly,  therefore,  to  reject  or  neglect  the  present  over- 
tures of  grace,  in  the  hope  of  a  miraculous  conversion  at 
last. 

The  case  before  us  was  peculiar  in  respect  both  of  Christ 
and  of  the  thief.  Jesus  was  now  in  the  lowest  state  of  his 
humiliation  —  seemingly  in  the  power  of  his  enemies.  It 
pleased  the  Father  to  give  the  world  a  proof  of  his  dignity 
and  glory,  and  this  poor  dying  thief  was  chosen  to  become  the 
monument  of  his  power  and  love.  But  such  an  occasion  can 
not  occur  again.  Then  too  we  may  suppose  that  the  thief  had 
never  before  heard  the  name  of  Jesus  of  ISTazareth,  or  at  least 
had  never  until  now  been  brought  into  contact  with  him.  What 
reason,  then,  can  we  have  to  expect  peace  at  last,  if  we  despise 
it  now  ?  On  the  other  hand,  how  ample  the  encouragement 
that  is  here  afforded  to  the  penitent  and  the  broken-hearted  ! 
Are  there  any  such  before  me  ?  Are  there  any  here  who  have 
lived  their  life  long  regardless  of  the  claim  of  God,  who  have 
begun  to  think  and  to  ask,  "  "What  must  we  do"  to  be  saved  ? 
Be  not  hopeless,  nor  faithless,  but  like  the  thief  on  the  cross, 
believing.  With  penitential  confession  of  your  sins,  make  his 
prayer  your  own,  and  be  assured  that  your  prayer  will  not  be 
turned  away  from  God,  nor  his  mercy  from  you.  According 
to  your  faith  it  shall  be  unto  you. 

This  subject  teaches  the  absolute  necessity  of  casting  our- 
selves hy  faith  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  salvation.  Here 
are  two  malefactors :  one  of  them  reviles  Jesus  and  dies  ;  the 
other  supplicates  his  mercy,  relies  upon  his  word,  and  lives. 
My  hearer !  believe,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.  Oh  !  believe  ; 
else  you  too,  like  the  impenitent  thief,  shall  perish,  in  sight  of 
the  Cross,  and  at  the  very  side  of  Jesus. 


Y3 


SERMON    III. 

DARK   DISPENSATIONS   KNOWN  HEREAFTEB. 

"  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter." — Johx  13 :  7. 

This  chapter  belongs  to  a  very  interesting  period  of  our 
Lord's  history.  His  public  ministry  was  near  its  close ;  the 
period  of  his  betrayal  and  death  was  near  at  hand ;  and  yet, 
as  if  forgetful  entirely  of  his  own  approaching  sufferings,  he 
takes  si3ecial  pains  to  instruct  and  comfort  his  disciples.  He 
assembles  them  in  an  npper  chamber,  where  he  institutes  and 
celebrates  with  them  that  "  Feast"  which  should  be  the  perma- 
nent memorial  of  his  dying  love.  "  Supper  being  ended, 
Jesus  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  him  all  things,  He 
riseth  from  supper,  and  took  a  towel,  and  girded  himself. 
After  that  He  poureth  out  water  into  a  basin,  and  began  to 
wash  his  disciples'  feet."  (John  13  :  2,  4.)  He  comes  to  Simon " 
Peter  for  this  purpose,  but  the  apostle,  ashamed  that  his  Mas- 
ter should  perform  for  him  so  menial  an  office,  said :  "  Lord, 
dost  thou  wash  my  feet?  Jesus  said  unto  him.  What  I  do 
thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter." 
Words  these,  which  have  proved  to  be  full  of  refreshment  to 
the  Church  of  God  in  all  the  ages  since  they  were  uttered. 

By  an  act  of  singular  condescension  our  blessed  Lord  taught 
his  disciples  a  lesson  of  humility,  that  he  is  greatest  of  all  who 
is  servant  of  all.  He  manifests  his  own  affecCion  for  them  all, 
He  reminds  them  of  their  need  of  a  spiritual  washing,  and  en- 
forces the  great  duty  of  mutual  love.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
one  who  had  witnessed,  as  Peter  had,  his  many  mighty  works, 
the  evidences  that  He  was  "  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God,"  should  expostulate  as  he  did — "Dost  tliou  wash  ray 
feet?"  But  Peter's  objections  are  silenced  rather  than  re- 
moved by  the  words  of  the  text.     Our  Lord,  does  not,  at  firet, 


14: 

in  any  way  explain  the  reasons  of  his  conduct.  Perhaps  if  he 
had  told  the  disciples,  at  the  outset,  what  he  meant,  the  lessons 
he  wished  to  teach  them  would  have  been  much  less  impress- 
ive than  they  were.  And  thus  is  it  with  many  of  the  dispens- 
ations of  God  towards  his  people;  they  are  founded  upon 
reasons  which  we  do  not  understand,  which  are  wisely  con- 
cealed from  us  for  a  time,  but  in  the  end  we  have  cause, 
with  gratitude  and  joy,  to  exclaim :  "lie  hath  done  all  things 
well." 

These  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  be  applied  not 
only  to  the  particular  action  which  suggested  them,  but  to 
many  things  that  occur  under  his  providential  government. 
Viewed  in  this  light,  they  contain  a  promise,  that  however 
dark  the  works  and  ways  of  God  may  seem  to  his  people,  they 
shall  know  them  "  hereafter,"  perhaps  to  a  certain  extent  in 
the  present  life,  but  certainly  and  more  completely  in  the 
world  to  come.  The  two  clauses  of  the  text  bring  before  us 
two  grand  characteristics  of  the  Present  and  the  Future ;  the 
Present^  with  its  dark  mysteries,  or  its  at  best  imperfect  know- 
ledge ;  the  Future^  with  its  clear  light,  its  ample  and  satisfying 
revelations. 

I.  "  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now."  And  who  among 
us  has  not  felt  the  truth  of  these  words,  and  their  applicability 
to  many  of  the  Lord's  doings  ?  Some  of  "  the  things  of  God" 
we  do  indeed  know,  some  of  them  we  might  undei'stand  a 
great  deal  better  than  w^e  do,  if  w'e  would  use  the  proper 
means,  for  even  here  where  we  walk  by  faith,  we  "  see  in  part 
and  know  in  part."  We  have  God's  own  inspired  word,  to 
guard  us  on  the  one  hand  from  every  fatal  error,  and  on  the 
other,  to  discover  to  us  various  truths  of  vital  importance, 
which  man's  unassisted  reason  never  could  have  ascertained. 
And  to  the  children  of  his  grace  he  also  gives  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  lead  them  into  all  needful  truth,  to  open  the  eyes  of  their 
understanding,  to  take  of  the  things  of  Christ,  and  to  show 
them  unto  them.     "  God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine 


IS 

out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  into  our  hearts,  to  give  us  the 
knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ." 
"  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  his  Spirit,  for  the  Spirit 
searcheth  the  deep  things  of  God."  All  these  divine  provisions 
for  the  increase  of  our  knowledge  deserve  our  devout  acknow- 
ledgment, and  should  be  most  diligently  improved.  At  the 
same  time,  it  must  be  owned,  that  there  is  a  vast  field  over 
which  ignorance  casts  a  shadow  so  dark  as  utterly  to  hide  it 
from  our  view,  that  there  are  designs  of  Providence  so  deep 
that  we  can  not  fathom  them.  We  know  indeed  that  God  is 
wise,  nor  can  we  doubt  his  own  word,  which  assures  us  that 
all  things  work  together  for  our  good  and  his  glory ;  but  when 
we  look  to  the  means  and  the  methods  he  employs,  and  the 
times  he  selects  to  accomplish  his  purposes,  we  are  often  forced 
to  exclaim :  "  "Who,  by  searching  can  find  out  God  ?"  We 
may,  nay,  we  must  acknowledge  that  all  his  doings  are  ordered 
in  truth  and  wisdom  ;  but  when  we  attempt  to  canvass  the  rea- 
sons of  them,  or  to  explain  their  equity,  we  are  made  to  feel 
and  confess  that  "  such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  us,  it  is 
high  and  we  can  not  attain  unto  it."  Open  the  Bible  any 
where,  and  we  shall  discover  confirmation  of  this  truth. 

Why,  for  instance,  were  our  first  parents  permitted  to  fall  ? 
Could  not  God,  whose  restraining  grace  is  so  frequently  exerted 
now,  to  keep  back  his  people  "from  presumptuous  sin,"  have 
kept  them  from  falling  ?  If  it  be  said  that  they  were  allowed 
to  sin,  in  order  that  the  purpose  of  God  might  stand,  to  make 
a  more  illustrious  display  of  his  grace  than  could  be  given  to 
sinless  man,  the  question  is  hardly  answered.  Or  shall  we 
conclude  that  the  entrance  of  sin  into  our  world  was  an  abso- 
lutely necessary  condition  of  the  display  of  grace  ?  We  dare 
not  afiirm  this.  We  can  only  say  in  the  words  of  our  Lord, 
What  God  does  "  we  know  not  now,  but  we  shall  know  here- 
after." This,  we  humbly  conceive,  is  wiser  and  safer  than  to 
indulge  in  speculations  respecting  "the  ways  of  the  Al- 
mighty," which  at  the  best  are  the  guesses  of  ignorance,  which 


'76' 

often  are  only  the  utterance  of  folly,  in  either  case,  darken- 
ing counsel  by  words  without  knowledge. 

Again,  it  may  be  asked,  why  did  four  thousand  years  elapse 
between  the  first  promise  of  a  Saviour,  and  the  incarnation  of 
the  Son  of  God  ?  True,  we  are  told  that  he  came  in  "  the  full- 
ness of  the  times ;"  but  why  did  not  that  fullness  occur  at  an 
earlier  date  ?  Why  was  the  Gospel  of  life  and  salvation  pro- 
pagated so  slowly?  Why  were  so  many  myriads  allowed  to 
live  and  die  ignorant  of  its  gracious  provisions  ?  Why  have 
the  efforts  to  spread  the  Glad  Tidings  been  crowned  with  such 
limited  success,  that  even  now,  after  the  lapse  of  eighteen  cen- 
turies, by  far  the  largest  portion  of  the  human  family  are 
strangers  to  its  light  and  power?  Why  are  the  countries  in 
which  it  was  first  preached,  and  where  its  earliest  and  most 
glorious  victories  were  won,  again  to  be  ranked  among  the 
dark  places  of  the  earth,  full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty  ? 
These  are  only  a  few  of  the  mysteries  of  Providence.  We 
know,  indeed,  that  all  things  are  directed  by  infinite  rectitude 
and  wisdom,  and  that  the  final  issue  will  assuredly  be  good. 
Tlie  purposes  and  the  promises  of  Jehovah,  it  may  be,  travel 
slowly  to  their  accomplishment ;  but  "  He  is  faithful  who  hath 
promised,  and  will  perform  it." 

Again,  if  we  study  the  dealings  of  God  with  his  Church  or 
with  her  individual  members,  we  shall  find  them  to  be,  in  the 
scriptural  meaning  of  the  word,  mysteries.  How  inscrutable 
are  the  dispensations  of  Providence  in  regard  to  the  Church ! 
That  divine  society  for  which  Jesus  Christ  laid  down  his  life, 
which  he  purchased  with  his  own  blood,  has  been  compelled 
to  struggle  for  existence,  has  been  forced  by  the  iron  hand  of 
persecution  to  yield  up  her  holiest  members  to  death.  Mean- 
while her  Lord  forbears  to  manifest  his  power  and  love,  and 
leaves  his  and  her  enemies  to  have  their  way,  so  that  she  from 
the  depths  of  distress  cries  out,  "  My  God  hath  forgotten  me." 
Look  at  another  phase  of  her  history.  Outwardly  she  enjoys 
a  state  of  peace.     She  has  spread  her  conquests  over  the  vast 


11 

empire  of  Rome.  She  is  admitted  as  an  honored  guest  into 
the  palace  of  the  Caesars,  and  he  who  sits  upon  the  throne  of 
the  Csesars  worships  at  her  altar.  She  receives  the  homage  of 
the  mightiest  nations  of  the  earth.  But  she  has  hardly  won  this 
vast  domain,  the  civilized  world  has  hardly  begun  to  feel  her 
quickening  influence,  ere  the  Man  of  Sin  appears  seated  in  the 
temple  of  God,  claiming  as  the  vicar  of  Christ,  to  be  her  visible 
and  infallible  Head  and  Lord.  All  Christendom  accepts  the 
blasphemous  pretension  of  this  Son  of  Perdition,  and  for  the 
long  space  of  twelve  hundred  years,  he  rules  the  nations  with 
a  rod  of  iron,  and  covers  the  world  with  a  darkness  deeper 
than  that  of  Egypt.  "Who  can,  at  present,  unfold  the  divine 
philosophy  of  the  Papacy  ?  "Who,  as  he  reads  its  terrible  his- 
tory, is  not  obliged  to  say  in  the  words  of  the  text,  "  "What  thou 
doest  I  know  not  now  "  ? 

Then  again,  what  strange  allotments  do  we  discover  in  the 
case  of  families  and  individuals.  Here  is  one  possessed  of  all 
that  the  world  can  give.  Elevated  position,  ample  wealth, 
social  influence,  distinguished  talent  are  his,  and  all  these  gifts 
and  endowments  are  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God.  The 
Church  leans  upon  him  as  a  prop  and  stay,  but  he  is  suddenly 
cut  down  and  is  seen  no  more.  A  missionary  of  the  cross, 
with  bold  and  hopeful  heart,  resolves  to  go  forth  to  some  be- 
nighted land,  to  publish  the  glad  tidings  of  redemption ;  a 
thousand  hearts  bless  God  for  raising  up  such  a  laborer  to 
gather  the  precious  harvest  of  souls  ;  but  just  as  he  is  ready  to 
put  in  the  sickle,  just  when  he  has  made  himself  master  of  the 
language  of  the  country,  and  in  other  respects  has  become  a 
workman  not  needing  to  be  ashamed,  he  is  himself  cut  down 
by  the  scythe  of  death,  or  by  the  loss  of  health  is  compelled 
to  quit  the  field.  The  child  of  many  hopes  and  many  prayers, 
grows  up,  giving  promise  that  all  the  fondest  anticipations  of 
the  parent's  heart  shall  be  fully  realized,  that  he  will  be  their 
joy  and  pride  during  their  more  active  years,  their  stay  and 
staff  in  the  evening  of  life ;  but  he  is  taken  away  while  the 


^8 

dew  of  youth  is  thick  upon  him,  and  those  who  loved  him  are 
left  to  go  alone  and  sorrowing  to  the  grave.  Look  at  all  life's 
separations — it  is  needless  to  enumerate  them — you  may  and 
you  should  believe  that  there  is  wisdom  in  them,  but  you  will 
also  find  mysteries  which  you  can  not  solve.  Among  the 
myriads  of  saints  before  the  throne,  there  is  not  one  who  has 
not  had  occasion  to  say,  I  was  led  from  darkness  to  light, 
from  Satan's  bondage  to  the  freedom  of  Christ,  "  from  strength 
to  strength  through  the  valley  of  Baca,"  and  at  last  from  earth 
to  heaven — I  was  led  by  a  way  which  I  knew  not. 

God  does,  indeed,  sometimes  give  us  a  clue  to  his  designs,  a 
light  shines  upon  the  road  occasionally,  showing  that  it  con- 
ducts us  to  the  Lamb.  We  can  sometimes  understand  what 
our  heavenly  Father  is  doing,  enough  to  elicit  the  confession, 
"  Before  we  were  afflicted  we  went  astray,  but  now  we  keep 
liis  law."  Still  we  never  cease  to  meet  with  things  that  are 
too  high  for  us,  mysteries  which  we  can  not  unravel,  and  must 
therefore  be  content  to  walk  in  and  by  the  faith  that  he  will 
bring  us  to  a  city  of  habitation.  "  His  ways  are  past  finding 
out."    What  he  does  we  know  not  now. 

The  humble  disciple  of  Christ,  however,  will  cordially  ac- 
quiesce in  this  divine  arrangement,  though  it  dooms  him  to 
ignorance  of  matters  which  profoundly  concern  him,  for  he 
knows  that  it  will  be  temporary,  since  he  has  the  divine  as- 
surance that  he  "  shall  know  hereafter."  This  is  a  most  com- 
forting and  sustaining  promise.  God  might  have  required  us 
to  accept  his  dealings  as  right  and  wise,  though  no  explanation 
should  ever  be  vouchsafed,  but  instead  of  this,  his  people  have 
his  own  pledge  that  he  will  in  due  time  clear  up  for  them  the 
mysteries  of  his  Providence,  and  the  apparently  dark  methods 
of  his  grace.  Brethren,  let  it  be  our  daily  prayer,  that  we 
may  be  enabled  to  bring  home  to  our  own  hearts  this  precious 
jissurance,  rejoice  that  "  light  is  sown  for  the  righteous,"  and 
lean  trustingly  upon  our  God  "  until  the  day  break,  and  the 
shadows  flee  away." 


79 

It  pleases  God — let  me  say  again — sometimes  even  in  tlie  pre- 
sent world,  partially  to  scatter  the  clouds  that  hover  round  about 
him,  and  let  us  see  some  of  the  reasons  of  his  conduct.  In  the 
coui-se  of  life's  pilgrimage  "we  learn  that  there  is  a  "  needs-be" 
for  all  the  afflictions  that  are  laid  upon  us,  that  although  "  for 
the  present  not  joyous  but  grievous,  they  nevertheless  yield 
the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteousness." .  Subsequent  providences 
often  explain  earlier  ones.  And  the  road,  which  in  prospect 
seemed  very  dark  and  difficult,  when  we  come  to  look  back 
upon  it,  appears  strangely  lightsome  and  cheerful,  so  that  we 
wonder  at  the  dismal  fears  with  which  we  entered  upon  it.  So 
it  was  with  the  disciples  of  Jesus.  The  conduct  of  their  Master 
was  at  first,  no  doubt,  inexplicable  to  them  all ;  but  in  the  end 
they  comprehended  the  beautiful  lesson  of  fraternal  lowliness 
and  love,  which  it  was  intended  to  teach.  Wait  then  quietly 
upon  God.  In  due  time,  perhaps  in  this  world,  certainly  in  the 
next,  he  will  clear  up  all  that  is  dark  in  his  doings.  Has  God 
taken  away  a  brother,  or  a  sister,  a  husband  or  a  wife,  or  a 
child  dearly  loved?  "Knowest  thou  not  what  he  hath  done 
unto  thee  ?"  Well,  it  may  be  that  you  have  compelled  him — 
so  to  speak — in  this  way  to  bring  you  in  penitence  and  prayer 
to  the  mercy-seat,  to  teach  you  the  vanity  of  earth,  to  make 
you  live 'in  view  of  the  realities  of  eternity.  It  may  be  you 
have  compelled  him  to  take  the  loved  one,  or  the  lamb  of  your 
flock,  and  carry  it  to  Abraham's  bosom,  that  it  may  be  safe 
from  danger,  and  you  from  idolatry.  In  due  time  you  shall 
know  the  reason.  Let  God  take  his  own  way  and  time  to  ex- 
plain his  own  dispensations.  Let  the  Lord  the  King  reign,  and 
whether  he  comes  to  you  with  a  frowning  providence,  or  a 
smiling,  be  it  your  endeavor  to  hearken  to  his  voice,  to  obey 
his  word,  to  submit  to  his  will,  and  even  here  on  earth  you 
shall  be  taught  to  sing  the  anthem,  which  shall  be  heard  forever 
in  the  courts  above  :  "  Jnst  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou  King 
of  saints." 


80 

II.  "  We  shall  know  hereafter."  The  light  shall  break  in 
upon  the  darkness  at  last.  In  heaven,  all  that  is  now  mysteri- 
ous to  us  shall  be  explained,  to  our  perfect  and  eternal  joy. 
And  what  if  we  are  obliged  to  wait  until  then  ?  It  is  but  for 
a  moment.  Soon  will  the  day  of  mourning  and  perplexity  be 
ended,  and  the  day  of  triumph  and  of  knowledge  arrive.  Then 
shall  the  assembled  universe  behold  and  own  the  equity,  the 
wisdom,  and  the  love  of  God  in  all  his  doings  to  the  children 
of  men.  Standing  on  the  mount  of  the  Lord,  we  shall  survey 
the  finished  plans  of  Providence  and  Eedemption,  and  find  in- 
finite reason  to  admire  and  magnify  the  wisdom  and  the  good- 
ness that  have  distinguished  both. 

The  saints  in  glory,  for  example,  shall  see  how  the  scheme 
of  Providence  in  its  development  from  age  to  age,  connected 
itself  with  the  revolutions  of  empires,  the  conquests  of  war,  the 
discoveries  of  science,  as  well  as  with  the  most  minute  and  de- 
licate afi'airs  of  private  and  individual  life.  They  shall  not  only 
see  how  men  were  conducted  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  but 
understand  why  each  step  was  taken  in  the  eventful  journey ; 
they  shall  then  see  the  reasons  for  the  alternations  of  prosperity 
and  adversity,  why  God  gave,  and  why  he  took  away  ;  they 
shall  then  learn  that  good  and  evil,  friendship  and  bereave- 
ment, joy  and  sorrow,  all  worked  for  the  same  end  ;  like  the 
billows  of  the  ocean  they  all  rolled  in  the  same  direction,  and 
all  helped  to  bring  the  believers  back  into  the  haven  of  eter- 
nal rest.  The  family  whose  members  are  joined  together  by 
the  bond  of  grace,  shall  embrace  each  other  in  the  mansions  of 
glory.  Pastor  and  people  separated  in  the  Church  militant, 
shall  be  reiinitcd  in  the  Church  triumphant,  and  there  they 
shall  compreliend  why  the  ties  were  broken,  whose  severance 
80  deeply  wounded  their  hearts.  They  shall  then  know  what 
we  are  now  called  upon  to  believe,  (alas  !  with  how  much  slow- 
ness of  heart,)  that  "  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them 
that  love  God."     A  bright  morning  that  shall  be,  when  every 


81 

cloud  shall  be  dispersed,  when  each  link  in  the  golden  chain 
of  Providence  shall  be  radiant  in  the  light  of  eternity,  and  we 
shall  see  God  face  to  face. 

And  so  with  reference  to  the  scheme  of  Eedemption.  In  it 
there  are  mysteries  which  may  remain  such  forever.  But 
God's  people  shall  comprehend,  as  they  can  not  now,  the  rea- 
sons for  the  permitted  entrance  of  sin  into  our  world.  The 
liistory  of  the  plan  of  mercy,  the  types,  the  symbols,  by  which 
for  four  thousand  years  its  purposes  were  shadowed,  and  its 
blessings  conveyed,  will  acquire  a  new  beauty.  They  shall 
comprehend  the  mystery  of  Bethlehem's  lowly  cradle,  in  which 
the  infant  Redeemer  was  laid ;  of  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration, 
where  Peter,  James,  and  John  got  their  first  view  of  Jesus  glo- 
rified ;  of  Getlisemane,  where  an  angel  appeared  to  strengthen 
him  as  he  trembling  held  the  bitter  cup ;  of  Calvary  and  its 
cross ;  of  Olivet,  from  whence  the  risen  Saviour  ascended  to 
the  riglit  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high.  ISTow  they  see  in  part 
and  know  in  part,  and  yet  partial  as  the  vision  is,  it  is  glorious 
and  blessed,  but  then  shall  they  know  even  as  they  are  known. 
And  if  our  present  dim  perceptions  be  so  joyful,  what  must  be 
the  bliss  when  we  fully  understand  the  great  mystery  of  godliness, 
when  all  seeming  discrepancies  are  harmonized,  every  paradox 
is  explained,  every  difficulty  shall  be  removed,  when  we  shall 
trace  the  heighths  and  depths  of  everlasting  love,  when  the  soul 
shall  be  filled  with  its  boundless  fullness?  Oh  !  it  is  this,  which 
causes,  and  shall  forever  cause,  the  hearts  of  the  redeemed  to 
beat  with  a  joy,  a  rapture  unknown  on  earth.  It  is  this  i^er- 
ception  of  the  pervading  excellence  of  all  God's  ways  towards 
man,  that  shall  lend  an  ever-growiug  melody  to  the  harps  and 
the  anthems  of  heaven. 

"  What  ye  know  not  now  ye  shall  know  hereafter,"  There 
in  the  paradise  of  God  is  a  tree  of  knowledge,  among  whose 
branches  no  tempter  shall  ever  lurk,  neither  shall  deadly  fruit 
grow  upon  them.  jN'ow  it  is  a  tree  of  life  as  well  as  knowledge. 
It  blooms  in  eternal  beauty.  Its  roots  are  fed  by  that  river  of 
6 


82 

water  of  life  which  flows  from  beneath  the  throne  of  God  and  the 
Lamb.  Oh  !  then  will  you  not  turn  from  the  sorrows,  the  vani- 
ties, the  unsatisfying  enjoyments  of  earth,  and  lay  hold  of  eter- 
nal life  ?  Why  choose  for  your  portion  a  world  dark  and  dy- 
ing, when  God  has  revealed  and  presses  you  to  enter  one  of 
perfect  knowledge,  one  of  which  the  Lamb  is  the  light  ?  Jesus 
is  the  way  to  it,  come  to  him  now,  and  he  will  even  here  give 
you  a  light  to  cheer  amid  the  most  distressing  and  darkest  of 
earth's  dispensations,  a  light  in  your  own  souls,  which,  like  the 
morning  dawn,  shall  shine  brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  per- 
fect and  endless  day. 
A  word  of  improvement. 

1.  Let  us  learn  to  form  humble  and  reverential  conceptions 
of  God's  doings.  There  is  much  within  our  present  sphere  of 
observation,  which  we  can  not  comprehend.  Can  we  by 
searching  find  out  God  ?  No.  "What  he  does  we  know  not 
now.  In  the  world  to  come  we  shall  walk  by  sights  but  here 
we  must  walk  hy  faith.  It  becomes  us  not  to  rebel  against 
this  arrangement  of  Providence,  nor  to  regret  the  revealed 
methods  of  Eedemption,  because  we  do  not  understand  them. 
The  Lord  is  holy  in  all  his  ways  and  righteous  in  all  his  works. 
Clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  him,  but  justice  and 
judgment  are  the  habitation  of  his  throne.  If  you  are  a  child 
of  his  grace,  do  not  doubt  that  God  is  leading  you  by  the  best 
way  to  heaven. 

2.  Let  us  cultivate  a  patient  submission  in  reference  to  all 
the  divine  appointments.  It  is  our  duty,  and  I  am  sure  it  would 
be  our  happiness  to  leave  ourselves  in  the  hand  of  Him,  to  do 
with  us  just  what  seemeth  good  in  his  sight.  This  we  Christians 
profess  to  do.  AVe  pray,  "Thy  wall  be  done,"  but  do  we  not 
too  often  act,  as  if  we  meant  it  only  so  far  as  the  will  of  God 
harmonizes  with  our  own  ?  Do  we  never  rebel  nor  repine  ? 
When  wc  can  sec  clearly  the  design  of  God  in  the  dispensa- 
tions of  his  providence,  we  find  it  easy  to  confide  in  him,  but 
when  we  can  not  see  his  immediate  purpose,  that  is  the  time  to 


83 


test  our  faith,  our  patience,  our  submission.  God  is  equally 
wise  and  good  when  we  understand  his  ways,  and  when  we  do 
not.  Let  it  be  enough  for  us  to  be  assured  that  the  Lord 
knoweth  how  to  deliver  his  people.  Let  us  remember  that  our 
Redeemer,  who  laid  down  his  life  for  us,  had  said  :  "  What  ye 
know  not  now  ye  shall  know  hereafter." 

3.  Live  in  preparation  for  the  world  of  perfect  knowledge. 
Into  it  you  can  not  enter,  unless  you  have  a  title  to  it,  and  a 
raeetness  for  it.  Have  you,  under  a  sense  of  your  lost  condi- 
tion, been  brought  to  the  cross  of  Christ  ?  Are  you  walking 
in  the  way  of  obedience,  judging  that  if  One  died  for  all,  then 
were  all  dead,  and  that  they  who  live,  should  henceforth  live  ■ 
not  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  who  died  for  them  ?  This 
is  the  way  to  heaven,  and  if  you  walk  not  in  this  path,  you 
will  never  enter  that  glorious  state  of  which  I  have  spoken. 
You  shall  never  see  the  King  in  his  beauty,  nor  the  goodly  land 
beyond  Jordan.  You  may  have  loved  ones  in  heaven,  seeing 
as  they  are  seen,  and  knowing  as  they  are  known,  but  you  shall 
never  join  their  company.  Look  to  Jesus.  Trust  him  for  life 
with  all  its  trials,  for  eternity  with  all  its  interests  and  rewards. 
He  who  graciously  condescended  to  wash  his  disciples'  feet, 
waits  to  wash  you  in  his  atoning  blood.  Go  to  him,  and  light 
will  be  shed  on  all  the  past,  and  hope  shall  nerve  thy  soul  for 
all  the  future.  Clouds  may  continue  to  gather,  trials  may  come 
thick  and  fast,  but  amid  them  all  you  shall,  as  a  child  of  his 
grace,  be  enabled  to  say  :  "  The  Lord  reigneth.  What  I  know 
not  now  I  shall  know  hereafter." 


84 


SERMON   IV. 

THE     LAW     MAGNIFIED. 

"  He  will  magnify  the  law  and  make  it  honorable." — ISA.  42  :  21. 

So  spake  the  prophet  Isaiah,  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
But  of  -whom  did  he  speak?  Of  himself  or  of  some  other 
man  ?  Doubtless  of  some  other,  and  that  other  was  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  that  same  Jesus  whom  Philip,  taking  his  text  from 
another  part  of  this  same  prophecy,  preached  unto  the  man  of 
Ethiopia.  We  may  sometimes  be  in  doubt  respecting  the 
meaning  and  application  of  particular  Old  Testament  predic- 
tions, but  we  can  be  in  none  when  Scripture  itself  explains 
and  applies  them,  "  for  all  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God."  When,  therefore,  the  New  Testament  writers  intro- 
duce their  quotations  with  the  formula,  "This  was  done  that  it 
might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet,"  we  are 
left  in  no  uncertainty  as  to  the  real  sense  of  the  prophecy. 
Possibly  the  prophet  who  wrote  the  words  did  not  understand 
their  meaning,  but  it  is  plain  to  us  who  walk  in  the  clearer 
light  of  that  new  dispensation,  which  has  made  plain  so  many 
glorious  mysteries  of  the  former. 

That  this  whole  chapter  refera  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will 
be  seen  by  turning  to  Matthew  12  :  17.  After  describing  some 
of  Christ's  mighty  works,  the  evangelist  adds  :  "  This  was  done 
tliat  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet 
Esaias,  saying.  Behold  my  servant  whom  I  have  chosen,  my 
Beloved  in  whom  my  soul  is  well  pleased."  At  the  baptism  of 
Jesus,  and  again  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  a  voice  was 
heard  from  the  excellent  glory,  uttering  almost  the  very  same 
words  in  testimony  of  his  divine  mission  and  Messiahsliip. 
And  when  Jesus,  in  the  power  of  tlie  Spirit  returned  into  Gal- 


85 

ilee,  and  coming  to  Nazareth,  entered  the  synagogue,  and 
having  read  as  part  of  the  Scripture  for  the  day,  a  passage 
from  Isaiah,  he' closed  the  book  and  said:  "This  day  is  this 
Scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears,"  "  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon 
me,"  etc.  There  can  then  be  no  doubt  that  our  Lord  Jesus  is 
the  person  concerning  whom  it  is  said :  "  He  shall  magnify  the 
law."  In  the  consideration  of  these  words,  I  propose  to  in- 
quire. 

I.    What  law  is  here  referred  to  f 

Law,  in  general,  is  a  rule  of  action.  The  law  of  God,  which 
is  summarily  contained  in  the  decalogue,  is  called  the  moral 
law,  because  it  is  designed  to  regulate  not  merely  ceremonial 
observances,  but  moral  action,  and  also  to  distinguish  it  from 
positive  laws,  which  are  only  of  temporary  obligation.  To 
this  latter  class  belonged  those  ceremonial  laws  which  pre- 
scribed the  ritual  of  worship  under  the  old  economy,  and  the 
judicial  laws  which  regulated  the  civil  and  political  affairs  of 
the  Jews.  These  laws  were  abrogated,  when  the  types  embo- 
died in  them  were  fulfilled  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  when  the  Jews 
ceased  to  exist  as  a  nation.  But  the  moral  law  having  no  refer- 
ence to  time,  place,  or  people,  and  being  founded  in  the  rela- 
tions of  man  to  God  and  to  his  fellow-man,  is  of  universal  and 
perpetual  obligation. 

A  question  has  been  started,  whether  the  moral  law  origi- 
nated in  the  will  of  God  alone,  or  in  the  nature  of  things. 
Some  contend  that  it  is  based  solely  upon  the  will  of  God. 
that  the  duties  it  enjoins  are  binding  only  because  he  has  com- 
manded them.  But  this  view  of  the  subject  confounds  justice 
and  power ;  it  supposes  that  there  is  no  essential  distinction 
between  right  and  wrong,  or  good  and  evil.  Trace  this  notion 
to  its  consequences,  and  it  will  follow  that  falsehood  might 
have  been  a  virtue  and  truth  a  vice  ;  that  it  might  have  been 
our  duty  to  cheat,  murder,  live  without  prayer,  and  worship 
the  creature  more  than  the  Creator.     In  fine,  it  would  follow 


86 

tliat  there  is  no  such  thing  as  an  eternal  and  immutable  moral- 
ity. "We  maintain  that  things  are  just  not  because  God  has 
commanded  them,  but  that  he  has  commanded  them  because 
they  are  just.  Tliere  is  a  reason  for  the  law  in  the  nature  of 
things,  and  this  is  enforced  by  divine  authority. 

There  may  be  some  precepts  in  the  decalogue  to  which  this 
remark  does  not  strictly  apply  ;  but  of  moral  law,  properly  so 
called,  it  is  true.  Now  this  law  is  summed  up  in  these  two 
commands,  "  Thou  shall  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart ;  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,"  and  we  can 
not  conceive  of  an  intelligent  creature  who  is  unable  to  per- 
ceive the  perfect  reasonableness  and  Tightness  of  these  pre- 
cepts. Tliis  is  law,  and  God  has  enforced  it  by  his  authority. 
It  was  proclaimed  from  Sinai  amid  thunders  and  lightnings,  it 
was  written  by  the  finger  of  God  on  two  tables  of  stone,  and 
a  curse  was  denounced  against  all  who  should  not  continue  in 
all  things  to  do  them.  E"ow  it  was  this  moral  law,  emanating 
from  the  holiness  of  God,  and  which  is  of  perpetual  and  uni- 
versal obligation,  that  Christ  came  to  fulfill.  Man  had  failed 
to  meet  its  requirements,  and  Christ  came  to  wodc  out  for  him 
tlie  righteousness  which  tlie  law  demands,  and  by  so  doing  mag- 
nified it. 

II.    What  is  it  to  magnify  the  law  and  make  it  honoralle  ? 

To  magnify,  may  mean  to  show  forth  one's  greatness  and 
glory,  or  to  advance  his  reputation  and  establish  his  authority. 
In  this  connection,  it  does  not  signify,  as  Socinians  affirm,  that 
Christ  came  to  correct  and  perfect  the  moral  law.  Denying 
as  they  do,  what  the  Christian  Church  has  ever  held,  that  Clirist 
came  into  the  world  to  expiate  for  liuman  guilt,  it  is  necessary 
that  they  should  find  something  for  him  to  do  worthy  of  the 
expectations  which  his  advent  had  excited,  and  of  the  vast 
])reparations  which  heralded  his  appearance  upon  earth. 
J  Fence  they  attempt  to  show  that  the  moral  code  given  to  the 
Jews  was  imperfect,  and  that  the  design  of  the  mission  of  Jesus 


87 

was  to  supplement  its  defects,  and  to  give  to  men  a  clear  and 
fall  exposition  of  their  duty  to  God  and  to  each  other.  This 
affirmation  only  shows  the  miserable  shifts  to  which  those  who 
deny  the  atonement  of  Christ  are  compelled  to  resort,  in  order 
to  maintain  their  position.  We  assert,  on  the  contrary,  that 
the  "  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect ;"  that  Christ  came  neither  to 
destroy,  nor  to  correct,  but  to  fulfill  the  law ;  and  that  all  the 
duties  enjoined  by  him,  which  seem  to  be  new  commands,  may 
be  referred  to  one  or  other  of  those  two  eternal  principles  of 
love  to  God  and  love  to  man.  That  law  which  is  the  expres- 
sion of  the  divine  perfections  is  incapable  of  improvement,  for 
it  is  as  immutable  as  the  Lawgiver  himself. 

To  magnify  the  law  and  make  it  honorable,  then,  is  to  do 
something,  by  which  all  created  intelligences  shall  be  pro- 
foundly convinced  of  the  glorious  character  of  the  law ;  some- 
thing which  shall  exhibit  in  the  clearest  light,  its  unbending 
authority,  its  pervading  excellence,  its  perfect  goodness,  its 
awful  sanctions — something,  which,  while  it  illustrates  the  de- 
mands of  the  law  in  all  their  extent  and  exactness,  shall  at  the 
same  time  show  forth  the  infinite  wusdom  and  boundless  love 
of  the  Lawgiver.  This  is  what  is  meant  by  magnifying  the 
law,  and  all  this  was  done  by  our  Surety  when  he  was  made 
under  the  law  and  became  "  obedient  unto  death."  If  sin  had 
never  entered  the  universe,  there  could  never  have  been  any 
question  concerning  the  excellence  of  the  law  of  God.  No 
creature  could  ever  have  had  even  a  shade  of  doubt  in  regard 
to  the  rectitude,  or  the  wisdom,  or  the  benevolence  of  any  one 
of  its  precepts.  Every  jot  and  tittle  of  it  would  have  met  the 
instant  and  hearty  approval  of  men,  had  they  retained  their 
original  holiness.  It  harmonized  perfectly  with  the  reciprocal 
relations  of  the  Creator  and  the  creature.  Such  is  the  intimate 
connection  between  holiness  and  happiness,  and  such  the 
framework  of  man's  nature,  that  the  penalty  which  the  law 
denounces  against  transgression  would  immediately  and  neces- 


88 

sarily  begin  to  be  inflicted.  Sin  is  repugnant  to  God's  nature, 
and  to  man's  also,  since  lie  was  made  in  the  image  of  God. 
And  therefore  the  sinner  must  be  miserable ;  a  stranger  to 
holiness,  he  is,  by  a  moral  necessity,  a  stranger  to  happiness. 

Now  there  are  two  ways  in  which  the  law  given  to  man  may 
be  magnified.  One  is  by  the  sinless  obedience  of  the  crea- 
ture— such  an  obedience  as  shall  show  the  perfect  harmony 
between  the  provisions  of  the  law  and  the  nature  and  condi- 
tion of  its  subjects,  or  in  other  words,  that  the  law  is  holy, 
just,  and  good.  The  other  is  by  the  infliction  of  its  penalty 
when  incurred,  thus  revealing  the  inflexible  justice  of  its 
Author,  that  he  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  evil.  In  either 
case  the  law  is  magnified.  Men  impose  upon  themselves  when 
they  talk  of  justice  punishing  or  not  as  it  pleases.  Such  an 
alternative  is  at  war  with  every  proper  idea  of  justice.  That 
would  not  be  justice,  but  arbitrary  will,  exhibiting  itself,  now 
in  acts  of  clemency,  and  then  in  acts  of  severity,  but  without 
rule  or  reason.  How  could  law  be  magnified  in  such  a  state 
of  things?  No.  The  wao;es  of  sin  is  death.  Sin  must  be 
punished.  It  can  not  be  pardoned  without  such  an  adequate 
atonement  on  the  sinner's  behalf,  as  should  magnify  the  law  he 
had  broken,  and  make  it  honorable. 

Such  are  the  principles  upon  which  the  scheme  devised  by 
Infinite  Wisdom  for  the  redemption  of  sinful  man,  proceeds. 
It  displays  the  grandeur  of  God's  law  as  well  as  the  infinitude 
of  God's  love.  Christ  is  set  forth  a  propitiation  tlirough  faith 
in  his  blood  for  the  remission  of  sin,  declaring  thus  the  right- 
eousness of  God.  His  justice  was  displayed  in  this  transac- 
tion equally  with  his  grace.  The  law  was  not  repealed,  but 
established.  Its  terms  were  not  lowered,  but  maintained  to 
the  last  iota.  The  salvation  of  the  saved,  so  far  as  they  are 
concerned,  is  all  of  free,  unmerited,  absolute  grace,  though  as 
it  respects  the  Saviour,  it  is  the  award  of  justice — the  fruit  of 
the  travail  of  his  soul,  the  purchase  of  his  blood.     And  thus 


S9 

is  the  law  magnified  and  made  honorable  in  the  view  of  the 
universe  as  the  eternal  rule  of  right.  But  let  us  consider  more 
particularly — 

III.  Hov:;  has  Christ  magnified  the  law  f 

1.  He  magnified  it  by  his  teaching.  He  came  to  redeem 
those  who  were  under  its  curse,  but  not  by  modifying  the  de- 
mands of  the  law,  not  by  substituting  a  lower  code  which 
should  accept  sincere,  in  the  room  of  perfect  obedience.  No. 
He  too  well  understood  the  nature  of  the  law  ;  and  hence  he 
said  by  the  mouth  of  the  Psalmist,  long  before  his  advent : 
"  Thy  law  is  within  my  heart,  I  have  preached  righteousness 
in  the  great  congregation."  (Ps.  40  :  8,  9.)  Accordingly,  at  the 
outset  of  his  public  ministry,  he  declared  :  "  Think  not  that  I  am 
come  to  destroy  the  law ;  I  am  not  come  to  destroy  but  to  ful- 
fill." He  came  to  redeem  man  from  the  penalty  of  the  broken 
law,  not  by  setting  it  aside,  but  by  enduring  it  himself.  Even 
when  tasting  the  bitterness  of  the  curse,  he  recognized  and 
loved  the  spotless  holiness  which  required  its  infliction.  When 
he  opened  the  prison-door,  and  set  the  captive  free,  each  one 
went  forth  with  new  and  deep  impressions  of  the  majesty  and 
excellence  of  the  holy  law  of  God,  taught  by  the  Saviour  to 
say :  "  I  esteem  all  thy  precepts  concerning  all  things  to  be 
right,  and  I  hate  every  false  way."  Pead  the  wonderful  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount,  ponder  every  utterance  of  Him  who  spake 
as  never  man  spake,  and  you  will  find  the  amplest  and  most 
convincing  evidence  that  in  all  his  teaching  our  blessed  Lord 
magnified  the  law  and  made  it  honorable. 

2.  He  magnified  it  in  his  life.  Compare  the  law  of  God  and 
the  life  of  Christ  during  his  abode  among  men,  and  you  will 
find  the  most  exact  conformity  of  the  one  to  the  other.  He 
was  watched  by  a  thousand  jealous  eyes ;  his  actions  and  his 
words  were  open  to  the  inspection  of  foe  and  friend  ;  yet  he 
could  give,  as  he  did,  the  bold  challenge  to  a  hostile  multi- 


90 


tilde :  "  Wliicli  of  you  convictetli  me  of  sin  ?"  Not  one  dared 
to  respond.  As  he  is  in  his  mediatorial  person  the  brightness 
of  his  Father's  glory,  so  was  his  life  the  express  image,  the 
perfect  embodiment  of  the  divine  law.  He  was  made  under 
it,  he  never  wished  to  be  free  from  it,  he  unfolded  in  his  teach- 
ing, and  exemplified  in  his  whole  conduct,  how  spiritual,  how 
unchangeable,  how  good  it  is.  An  inspection  infinitely  more 
searching  than  man's,  even  that  of  the  omniscient  God,  could 
detect  in  the  life  of  Jesus  no  sin,  no  defect,  for  repeatedly  was 
a  voice  heard  proclaiming  from  the  excellent  glory :  "  This  is 
my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 

But  the  law  required  of  him  something  more  than  obedience 
to  its  precepts.  Those  for  whom  he  had  been  made  under 
law,  were  sinners,  and  it  was  necessary  that  their  guilt  should 
be  expiated,  that  full  satisfaction  should  be  made  by  him  for 
the  dishonor  they  had  done  the  law ;  in  fine,  that  its  threat- 
ened penalty  should  be  endured.  Here  then  we  come  in  view 
of  the  great  work  of  atonement,  and  are  led  to  consider  the 
fact  that — 

3,  Christ  magnified  the  law  in  his  death.  "  He  bore  our 
sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree."  "  Thou  hast  redeemed  us 
unto  God  by  thy  blood."  Thus  the  law  obtained  from  Him 
all  that  it  demanded  from  us ;  its  penalty  was  endured,  its 
precepts  obeyed. 

Christ  was  made  under  the  law  in  a  twofold  sense.  He  was 
sul)ject  to  it  as  Man  in  virtue  of  his  human  nature,  and  again 
as  Mediator,  or  as  the  substitute  and  surety  of  his  people. 
In  both  respects  he  fulfilled  it.  As  a  Jew,  "  according  to  the 
flesh,"  he  carefully  observed  the  ceremonial  law,  and  so  shed 
upon  it  a  peculiar  light  and  glory,  although  it  was  to  be  done 
away.  As  a  substitute,  he  endured  the  penalty  to  which  he 
was  bound  over,  "suftering  the  just  for  the  unjust,"  and  though 
"  he  knew  no  sin,  was  made  sin  for  us  :  was  wounded  for  our 
transgressions  and  bruised  for  our  iniquities."   And  thus,  while 


91 

believers  are  not  saved  bj  the  law,  their  salvation  presupposes 
that  all  its  demands  have  been  fully  satisfied.  The  law  is  not 
repealed,  much  less  dishonored,  but  wonderfully  magnified. 
"When  God  determined  to  redeem  guilty  men,  his  own  Son  is 
sent  into  the  world  to  bleed  and  die  ;  Immanuel  is  exhibited 
to  the  whole  universe  as  sufiering  under  the  curse.  Plow  im- 
pressive the  proof  thus  given  of  the  awful  sanctity  of  God's 
law,  when  our  Divine  Surety  bowed  his  head  to  the  sword  of 
avenging  justice,  and  died  that  we  might  live  !  The  thunders 
of  Sinai  seem  but  the  gentle  breathings  of  the  wind,  when 
compared  with  the  tempest  of  wrath  which  overtook  the  sin- 
ner's substitute  on  Calvary.  Who  that  looks  upon  "  the  won- 
drous Cross  on  which  the  Prince  of  glory  died,"  can  hope  for 
impunity  in  sin  ?  The  believer  in  Jesus  loves,  and  ever  aims 
to  obey  that  law,  even  while  rejoicing  in  his  deliverance  from 
it  as  a  covenant  of  works,  and  knowing  that  salvation  comes 
to  him  as  the  free  gift  of  God. 

And  this  leads  me  to  observe,  that  the  law  is  magnified  and 
made  honorable  by  Christ,  inasmuch  as  all  those  whom  he 
justifies,  he  sanctifies.  We  are  redeemed  from  the  law  as  a 
covenant,  from  its  curse,  but  not  from  its  obligation  as  a  rule 
of  life.  He  delivers  us  that  he  may  purify  us  unto  Himself,  a 
peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works.  All  Christ's  pardoned 
ones  are  saints  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  saved  from  the 
bondage  of  sin,  and  the  power  of  Satan.  Regenerated  by  his 
grace,  a  new  life  is  implanted  in  their  souls,  and  they  are  thus 
enabled  to  run  in  the  way  of  God's  commandments.  When  a 
poor  sinner  hears  the  voice  of  God  saying,  "  Do  this  and  live  ; 
cursed  is  every  one  who  continues  not  in  all  things  written  in 
the  law  to  do  them,"  he  may  make  a  vigorous  attempt  at  obe- 
dience, but  he  soon  sinks  under  a  feeling  of  utter  helplessness, 
until  he  learns  how  God  can  be  just  and  yet  justify  him. 
When  he  beholds  the  atonement  of  the  Mediator  interposing 
between  him  and  the  penalty,  that  which  before  had  excited 
only  dark  despair  becomes  an  object  of  hearty  affection,  so 


92 

that  he  can  say :  "  Oh  I  how  I  love  thy  law."  The  breath  of 
a  new  spirit  animates  his  obedience,  and  experiencing  the  dif- 
ference between  the  service  of  a  lawgiver  and  that  of  a  recon- 
ciled Father,  he  is  charmed  into  confidence  and  gratitude. 
lie  obeys  not  so  much  by  the  force  of  a  law  from  without,  as 
from  the  impulse  of  love  within.  Let  sinners  think  what  they 
please  about  tlie  law  of  God,  his  people  love  it,  rejoice  in  it, 
see  a  divine  excellence  in  it,  and  desire  to  embody  its  precepts 
in  their  daily  conduct.  Called  they  are  indeed  to  liberty,  but 
it  is  the  liberty  from  sin,  liberty  to  serve,  obey,  honor  Him 
who  hath  called  them  to  glory  and  virtue,  who  makes  his  peo- 
ple fruitful  in  every  good  word  and  work.     To  conclude — 

1,  "We  see  in  this  subject  the  great  work  of  Redemption  by 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Take  from  the  Bible  the  many  passages  which  are  in  har- 
mony with  the  text,  which  teach  the  doctrine  of  atonement,  and 
I  do  not  see  how  the  law  can  be  magnified,  or  how  mercy  and 
truth  can  come  together.  Redemption  alone  explains  the  suf- 
ferings of  Christ,  for  suffering  presupposes  as  its  cause  guilt 
inherent  or  imputed.  We  can  not  conceive  that  a  benevolent 
being  would  subject  innocence  to  pain  in  the  mere  exercise  of 
sovereign  power.  Yet  here  we  see  One  perfectly  free  from  sin 
or  impurity — one  whose  holy,  spotless  life  Heaven  itself  at- 
tested— spending  his  days  from  the  cradle  to  the  cross  under 
such  circumstances  as  to  entitle  him  emphatically  to  be  styled 
the  INIan  of  Sorrows.  On  the  common  principles  of  reason  it 
is  impossible  to  reconcile  the  facts  of  Jesus'  life  with  the  justice 
of  God.  Revelation  clears  up  the  mystery,  for  it  tells  us  that, 
holy  and  harmless  himself,  he  was  a  willing  victim  to  divine 
justice,  enduring  in  his  own  person  tlie  penalty  of  a  broken 
law,  that  he  might  magnify  it,  while  the  sinner  who  had 
broken  it  might  obtain  pardon  and  peace. 

2.  We  see  how  unalterable  are  the  claims  of  the  law.  If 
there  be  a  truth  established  by  facts,  in  the  view  of  the  uni- 
verse, it  is,  that  the  sanctions  of  the  law  must  be  enforced. 


93 

"Whatever  tends  to  honor  the  law,  tends  to  establish  its  au- 
thority. The  atonement  for  human  guilt  made  by  the  lite  and 
death  of  our  Lord  Jesus  puts  a  higher  honor  upon  the  law  of 
God  than  would  have  resulted  from  the  everlasting  destruction 
of  every  child  of  Adam.  For  by  this  it  appears  that  God  has 
so  much  regard  to  the  law,  that  when  His  dearly  beloved 
Son  interposed  in  behalf  of  sinners  who  had  broken  it,  rather 
than  make  the  least  abatement  of  its  claims,  the  wine-cup  of 
his  wrath  is  poured  out  without  mixture  or  mercy  even  upon 
Him.  "  If  such  things  be  done  in  the  green  tree,  what  shall 
be  done  in  the  dry  ?"  If  God  so  dealt  with  the  Son  of  his 
love,  when  He  found  in  him  only  sin  imputed,  what  shall  he 
do  with  those  in  whom  sin  reigns  ? 

God's  law  shall  he  magmjied.  Why  do  I  sound  this  truth 
in  your  ears?  That  I  may  stir  you  up  to  greater  diligence  in 
seeking  salvation  by  the  works  of  the  law  ?  Xo.  But  that 
by  showing  you  the  danger  and  utter  hopelessness  of  all  who 
are  under  this  covenant,  I  may  rouse  you  to  flee  for  refuge,  to 
lay  hold  upon  the  hope  set  before  you  in  the  Gospel.  Christ 
is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  be- 
lie vetli.  That  law  must  be  executed  either  in  you  or  your 
surety.  Make  Christ  yours  by  faith  ;  believe  in  his  name  ; 
trust  in  his  merits ;  take  refuge  in  his  atonement ;  and,  like 
those  on  whose  door-posts  was  found  the  blood  of  sprinkling 
on  the  night  when  the  destroying  angel  passed  through  the 
land,  you  shall  be  safe — safe  in  life,  in  death,  in  judgment ; 
safe,  because  accepted  in  the  Beloved.  Lay  hold  then  of  the 
propitiation  of  Him  who  died,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  tbat  you 
might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him.  But  having 
succeeded  in  obtaining  "  the  end  of  the  law,"  labor  to  obtain 
"  the  end  of  the  commandment — charity  out  of  a  pure  heart." 
Fluman  virtue  has  ceased  to  be  the  price  of  heaven,  but  yet  it 
is  an  indispensable  preparation  for  heaven  ;  it  is  not  the  me- 


94 

ritorious  cause,  as  many  suppose,  yet  it  is  the  wedding  gar- 
ment, without  which  there  can  be  no  admission  to  the  mar- 
riage-supper of  the  Lamb.  To  be  meet  in  law,  you  must  be 
invested  with  the  graces  of  a  personal  righteousness.  Heaven 
is  indeed  purchased  for  us,  yet  we  must  be  made  meet  to  be 
partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light. 


95 


SERMON  V. 

THE  MAETYRDOM  OP  STEPHEN. 

"  And  they  stoned  Stephen,  calling  upon  God,  and  saying,  Lord  Jesus,  receive 
my  spirit.  And  he  kneeled  down,  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Lord,  lay  not  this 
sin  to  their  charge." — Acts  1  :  59,  60. 

There  is  no  finer  subject  of  study  than  the  character  of  the 
first  Christians,  especially  of  those  chosen  by  our  Lord  to  be  the 
heralds  of  his  grace.  "We  see  in  these  men  the  living  power 
of  the  truth  in  Jesus,  the  transforming  energy  of  the  Gospel, 
epistles  of  Christ  which  all  could  read,  whose  value  all  could 
appreciate.  Their  history,  as  given  in  the  word  of  God,  ena- 
bles us  to  study  Christian  character  in  its  variety,  and  in  its 
progressive  development.  Among  these  early  Christians  there 
were  wide  differences  of  character,  illustrating,  on  the  one 
hand,  the  power  of  divine  grace,  and  on  the  other  exhibiting 
the  influence  of  natural  temperament,  the  force  of  habit,  and 
of  early  education.  Thus  the  Apostles  were  kept  for  a  time  in 
bondage  by  their  old  Jewish  prejudices,  and  were  slow  to 
comprehend  the  meaning  of  events  which  demonstrated  the 
liberal  nature  and  design  of  the  Gospel.  A  special  vision  from 
heaven  was  needed  to  prepare  Peter  for  the  conversion  of  the 
Gentile  Cornelius.  He  fully  believed  that  Messiah  should  be 
the  glory  of  his  people  Israel,  but  he  was  dull  of  heart  to  per- 
ceive that  he  was  also  a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles.  Some 
others,  again,  appear  to  have  had  little  of  this  Jewish  exclus- 
iveness,  and  who  had  a  deeper  insight  into  the  nature  of  the 
Gospel,  as  a  gracious  scheme  embracing  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  And  to  this  class  belonged,  I  think,  the  first  Christian 
martyr,  the  circumstances  of  whose  death  are  related  in  the 
chapter  from  which  the  text  is  taken.     In  the  sequel  of  this 


96 

discourse  I  shall  ask  your  attention  to  the  character  of  Ste- 
phen, to  the  occasion,  and  to  the  manner  of  his  death. 

I.  His  name — Stephen — 

Would  lead  us  to  conclude  that  he  was  by  birth  a  Greek,  or 
a  foreign  Jew.  He  is  lii-st  brought  to  our  notice  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  where  we  read  that  there  "  arose  a  murmuring 
of  the  Grecians  against  the  Hebrews,  because  their  widows 
were  neglected  in  the  daily  ministrations."  The  "  Grecians" 
were  either  Greek  proselytes,  or  more  probably  Jews  who, 
havino-  lived  in  Greek  colonies,  had  become  accustomed  to  the 
use  of  the  Greek  tongue.  Their  complaints  brought  the  Apos- 
tles, at  whose  feet  the  gifts  and  charities  of  the  Church  had 
been  laid,  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  not  "  meet  that  they 
should  leave  the  word  of  God  to  serve  tables."  Accordingly, 
the  brethren  are  told  to  "look  out  seven  men  of  honest  report, 
full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  wisdom,  whom  they  (the  Apostles) 
mio-ht  appoint  over  this  business."  Such  was  the  origin  of 
the  office  of  deacon.  And  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  "  the 
Seven,"  as  their  names  show,  were  chosen  from  among  the 
Grecians. 

One  of  these  seven  was  Stephen,  of  whom  it  is  specially 
noted  that  he  was  "  a  man  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Afterwards,  we  read  that  ^'  Stephen,  full  of  faith  and  power, 
did  great  wonders  and  miracles  among  the  people."  He  was, 
in  a  word,  distinguished  for  his  graces  and  his  gifts.  Like 
many  others,  he  might  have  exercised  both  these,  in  a  quiet 
way,  and  at  the  end  of  his  days  have  gone  down  peacefully  to 
the  grave.  But  the  piety  of  Stephen  was  of  that  deep,  diflfus- 
ive,  earnest  sort,  which  is  ever  seeking  to  bring  others  into  the 
blessed  fellowship  of  its  happiness  and  hopes.  He  was  thns — 
probably  not  very  long  after  his  ordination  to  tlie  diaconate — 
brought  into  conflict  with  certain  zealous  disputants  of  the 
synagogue  of  the  Libertines.  And  as  the}''  could  not  resist 
the  wisdo'n  and  the  spirit  with  which  he  spake,  though  they 


97 

still  resisted  the  claims  of  Steplien's  Lord,  their  embittered 
malignity  and  envy  speedily  prepared  the  way  for  him  to  win 
and  wear  the  proto-martyr's  crown.  Foiled  in  argmnent, 
they  sought  victory  by  a  method  in  which  they  have  had  many 
imitatoi*s,  namely,  by  thrusting  the  advocate  of  truth  into  the 
silence  of  the  sepulchre.  False  witnesses  are  suborned  to 
testify  that  he  had  spoken  blasphemous  words  against  Moses, 
and  the  law,  and  the  temple.     This  brings  me  to  notice, 

11.  The  occasion  of  Stephen's  death. 

He  is  summoned  to  appear  before  the  Sanhedrim,  accused 
of  a  crime  whose  penalty  was  death.  The  witnesses  suborned 
to  prove  the  charge,  are  described  ^s  false;  but  this  probably 
means  only  that  they  had  distorted  Stephen's  words  respecting 
the  law  and  the  temple,  as  had  been  done  by  others  in  the  case 
of  Christ.  AVe  may,  I  think,  infer  this  from  his  own  defense. 
In  this  remarkable  discourse  Stephen  appears  much  more  intent 
upon  unfolding  the  truth  in  Jesus  as  it  had  lain  hidden  be- 
neath the  course  of  Old  Testament  history,  than  eager  to  vin- 
dicate his  own  words,  or  to  deliver  himself  from  the  hands  of 
the  Jews.  Not  that  he  was  indifferent  to  his  own  fate.  But 
he  doubtless  remembered  those  words  of  his  Master :  "  When 
ye  are  delivered  up  to  councils,  take  no  thought  how  or  what  ye 
shall  speak.  Fear  not  them  who  have  power  only  to  kill  the 
body."  "With  these  words  ringing  in  his  ears,  how  could  he  be 
afraid  ? 

He  appears  before  his  judges;  the  witnesses  give  in  their 
testimony  ;  the  grim  smile  of  the  accusers  betokens  how  sure 
they  ai'e  that  their  victim  can  not  escape.  In  that  crowded 
court,  Stephen,  the  defenseless  follower  of  Jesus,  looks  in  vain 
for  one  friendly  face ;  on  every  hand  he  encounters  furious 
glances  or  cold  indifference.  But  is  he  terrified  ?  !N"o.  Like 
some  rock  of  ocean  which  lifts  its  summit  into  the  calm  sun- 
shine while  angry  billows  toss  and  dash  against  its  base,  so 
Stephen  stood.  The  Sun  of  Righteousness  beamed  upon  him, 
7 


98 

and  while  tlie  storm  of  passion  raged  around  liim,  he  himself 
was  bathed  in  the  very  light  of  heaven,  so  that  even  his  ene- 
mies beheld  his  face  shining  like  an  angel's  ?  His  Divine  Mas- 
ter was  with  him,  and  gave  such  visible  attestation  of  his  pre- 
sence as  at  once  nerved  Stephen's  heart  and  warned  those 
plotting  his  death  to  beware  how  they  touched  with  their  rude 
hands  the  Lord's  anointed.  "  All  that  sat  in  the  council  look- 
in"-  steadfiistly  on  him,  saw  his  face  as  it  had  been  that  of  an 

angel." 

"Wiiat  was  this  angelic  appearance  ?     Was  it  the  mere  ex- 
pression of  conscious  innocence,  the  shining  forth  of  inward 
peace  ?    Was  it  the  flush  of  anticipated  victory  ?    Was  the 
description,  as  some  have  said,  simply  a  rhetorical  flourish  of 
the  historian  ?     By  no  means.     It  was,  just  what  the  narrative 
suo-f^ests,  a  supernatural  irradiation  of  the  countenance  of  the 
proto-martyr  by  the  Holy  Spirit  who  was  at  the  same  time 
lining  his  soul  with  unspeakable  joy.     It  was  not  so  much 
Stephen  as  Christianity  that  was  now  on  trial,  and  therefore 
it  was  time  for  Christ  himself  to  work  in  support  of  his  own 
cause.    The  doctrine  of  Christ  preached  by  Stephen  was  ac- 
cused of  being  antagonistic  to  that  of  Moses,  and  as  if  to  give 
at  the  very  outset  of  the  trial  a  visible  proof  of  the  falsity  of 
the  accusations,  God  causes  the  face  of  his  faithful  and  im- 
perilled servant  to  shine  as  Moses'  had  done  when  he  came 
down  from  the  mount  of  God.     What  eff'ect  was  produced 
upon  the  members  of  the  council  we  are  not  told,  but  from  the 
sequel  of  Stephen's  defense  it  is  evident  that  however  much 
astounded  by  the  spectacle,  they  were  no  way  moved  from 
their  purpose.    In  reply  to  their  question,  "Are  these  things 
so?"  Stephen  proceeds  to  deliver  the  admirable  discourse  re- 
corded in  this  chapter.     Let  us  mark  some  of  its  prominent 
points. 

As  before  observed,  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  Stephen  does 
not  speak  of  himself,  but  rather  seems  to  deal  with  some  vital 


99 

question  involved  in  the  particular  charge  brought  against  liim, 
namely,  that  he  liad  blasphemed  Moses,  and  the  temple,  and 
the  law.  He  had  probably  asserted  in  his  discussions  M'ith  the 
Libertines  and  others,  that  the  shadows  of  tlie  old  economy 
would  disappear,  since  their  Substance  had  come ;  that  the  rites 
and  ceremonies  of  Moses  would  give  place  to  a  simpler  and 
more  spiritual  liturgy,  now  that  the  promised  Messiah  had 
come  into  the  world;  that  not  in  Jerusalem  alone,  and  in  her 
temple,  acceptable  worship  should  be  offered  to  the  Father, 
but  that  in  every  place  incense  might  be  presented  to  him. 
For  these  declarations  he  had  ample  warrant  in  the  jjrophetic 
Scri^Dtures. 

"  Men,  brethren,  and  fathers !  hearken  unto  me,"  said  he, 
and  then  he  calmly  proceeds  to  prove  by  a  summary  of  Old 
Testament  history,  that  there  was  no  blasphemy  in  saying  it 
was  to  be  done  away.  He  shows  that  Abraham,  called  from 
amidst  a  nation  of  idolaters,  had  enjoyed  friendship  and  fel- 
lowship with  God,  long  before  the  law  was  given.  He  shows 
how  Moses  himself  had  been  rejected  by  the  people  whom, 
under  God,  he  had  saved  from  Egyptian  bondage,  and  how  he 
iiad  predicted  the  appearance  of  a  prophet  like  him,  and  yet 
iar  greater,  whom  they  should  hear.  He  shows  that  the  tem- 
ple was  standing  in  all  its  ancient  glory;  Jehovah  himself  had 
asked  by  the  mouth  of  his  prophet,  (Isa.  66  :  1,)  "  What  house 
will  ye  build  me  ?"  "  Heaven  is  my  throne,  and  the  earth  my 
footstool."  At  this  point  his  historical  argument  abruptly  stops. 
AVhat  he  says  of  the  temple  would  seem  to  show  that  his  pur- 
pose was  to  prove  the  typical,  and,  therefore,  temporary  cha- 
racter of  the  sacred  edifice,  that  hence  there  was  no  blasphemy 
in  predicting  its  destruction,  as  by  the  incarnation  and  death 
of  Messiah,  the  end  of  its  erection  had  been  accomplished. 

His  angry  judges  were  quick  to  discern,  as  the  argument 
advanced,  the  conclusion  to  which  it  led  them  •  their  flashing 
eyes,  their  gnashing  teeth,  revealed  th^e  paroxysm  of  rage  into 


100 

■nrliich  they  were  thro'wn,  and  the  uselessness  of  reasoning  with 
men  resolved  to  shut  their  eyes  and  ears.  Stephen  suddenly 
changes  the  strain  of  his  address,  and  prompted  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  he  with  the  majestic  air  and  tone  of  an  ancient  prophet, 
denounces  their  guilt,  their  obstinate  impenitence  and  their 
awful  doom  :  "  Ye  stift-necked  and  uncircumcised  in  heart,  ye 
do  always  resist  tlie  Holy  Ghost,  as  your  fathers  did,  so  also 
do  ye."  Now  the  measure  of  their  national  sin  was  filled  up 
by  their  betrayal  and  murdering  of  the  Just  One.  It  ill  be- 
came such  a  people  to  trust  in  their  own  righteousness ;  and 
as  if  to  awaken  them  to  this  truth,  he  gives  another  thrust  to 
their  consciences,  by  reminding  them  of  the  law  of  which  they 
boasted,  but  which  they  had  not  kept. 

"When  they  heard  these  things,  they  were  "  cut  to  the  heart." 
The  word  rendered  "  cut,"  is  different  from  the  term  else- 
where used  to  denote  the  effect  of  the  preaching  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  rendered.  Acts  2  :  37,  "  pricked  to  the  heart."  Here 
the  word  used,  literally  means  to  saw  asunder.  The  figure  is 
most  striking,  and  describes  in  the  strongest  manner  the  effect 
of  this  address,  how  it  grated  upon  their  hearts,  like  the  pass- 
ing of  a  jagged  saw  over  tender  flesh,  filling  them  with  an 
agony  of  rage,  and  lashing  them  into  fury.  At  the  opening 
of  the  defense,  these  judges  saw  the  face  of  Stephen  as  it  had 
been  the  face  of  an  angel }  and  now  at  the  close,  though  a 
heavenly  sweetness  and  serenity  S'till  irradiated  the  countenance 
of  the  martyr,  he  saw  their  faces  as  they  had  been  the  faces  of 
so  many  demons.     This  brings  us  to, 

in.  His  martyrdom. 

Stephen  had  witnessed  a  good  confession,  he  had  kept  the 
faith,  and  now,  while  a  furious  tempest  is  raging  around  him, 
he  is  liimself  kept  in  perfect  peace.  Standing  upon  the  verj'' 
verge  of  eternity,  and  with  the  prospect  of  a  cruel  death,  he  is 
not  dismayed.  He  knew  for  whose  Name's  sake  he  had  been 
summoned  before  the  council ;  he  knew  in  whom  he  had  be- 


101 

lievecl,  and  now,  with  the  calm  dignity  which  religion  inspires, 
he  turns  away  from  the  angry  mob  before  him,  and  lifting  his 
eyes  upward,  looks  steadfastly  toward  heaven.  The  act  was 
expressive  of  resignation  and  of  hope.  And  as  Stephen's  up- 
ward gaze  became  more  fixed  and  steadfast,  we  may  well  be- 
lieve that  his  angelic  countenance  grew  more  radiant  with  the 
light  and  glory  of  the  opening  heavens.  How  transporting 
the  prospect  that  burst  upon  him !  He  had  walked  by  faith  ; 
but  now,  he  stands  and  sees  the  glory  of  God.  This  was  the 
first  martyrdom  for  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  a  special  honor  is 
put  upon  the  sad  and  yet  sacred  scene.  And  He  who  himself, 
through  death,  destroyed  him  who  had  the  power  of  it,  the 
devil,  gives  a  visible  proof  that  all  his  faithful  martyrs  conquer 
though  they  die. 

Stephen — probably  in  ecstatic  vision — beholds  the  glory  of 
God,  and  Jesus  standing  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  He  saw 
not  God  himself,  who  is  invisible,  but  his  glory,  that  is,  some 
special  display  of  it,  some  symbol  of  the  divine  presence,  per- 
haps like  that  which  Isaiah  beheld,  a  surpassing  splendor  in 
presence  of  which  the  bright  seraphim  did  veil  their  faces. 
He  saw  Jesus..  He  recognized  him  amid  the  shining  hosts  of 
heaven.  Perhaps  his  eyes  had  never  before  rested  upon  the 
human  form  of  Jesus,  but  he  could  say,  "  Whom  having  not 
seen  I  love,"  and  now  he  instantly  identifies  his  beloved  and 
his  friend.  He  saw  Jesus  standing  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 
In  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  Paul  contrasting  the  Levitical 
priesthood  with  that  of  Christ,  says :  "  They  stood^  daily  min- 
istering, but  Christ,  after  his  one  sacrifice,  forever  sat  down^ 
(Heb.  10  :  11,  12.)  But  in  this  scene  he  appears  standing^  as  if 
he  had  arisen  from  his  throne  to  encourage  and  support  his 
faithful  martyr ;  standing  as  if  to  receive  his  ransomed  soul, 
and.  introduce  it  into  the  presence  of  his  Father ;  standing,  as 
if  he  would  be  the  first  to  hail  the  triumph  of  the  dying  yet 
victorious  saint,  and  with  his  own  hands  would  place  upon  his 


10-2 

brow  the  crown  of  eternal  life.  Blessed  vision  !  he  knows 
that  lie  is  not  alone.  The  Master  is  with  him,  and,  nerved  by 
his  presence,  he  could  defy  a  thousand  deaths.  Nay,  he  is  as 
really  beyond  the  reach  of  its  sting  as  was  Elijah  when  borne 
to  heaven  in  a  chariot  of  fire. 

,"  Behold,  I  see  heaven  opened  and  the  Son  of  Man  stand- 
ins  on  the  rijrht  liand  of  God."  He  saw  Jesus  in  human  form 
glorified,  retaining,  therefore,  all  his  human  sympathies.  The 
Nvords  were  a  confession  to  all  around  him  that  he  was  not  a 
martyr  to  an  opinion,  but  to  a  most  certain  and  blessed  fact. 
"  I  see  Jesus." 

His  maddened  enemies  can  bear  no  moi-e.  They  cry  out 
with  fury  to  drown  the  martyr's  voice ;  they  shut  their  ears, 
lest  they  should  hear  one  more  dying  word  ;  they  run  upon  him 
with  one  accord,  and  overwhelm  him  with  stones.  "And  they 
stoned  Stephen,  calling  upon  God,  and  saying.  Lord  Jesus,  re- 
ceive my  spirit."  The  word  God  is  not  in  the  original,  text, 
and  the  verse  would  be  better  rendered  thus ;  "  They  stoned 
Stephen,  who  prayed  saying,  or  making  invocations,  and  say- 
ing, Lord  Jesus,"  etc.  1:^0 thing  can  be  plainer  than  that  Ste- 
phen addressed  his  prayers  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  thus  in  his 
dying  moments  he  gave  a  most  solemn  attestation  to  the  vital 
doctrine  of  the  supreme  divinity  of  Christ.  Standing  as  Ste- 
phen then  was  on  the  brink  of  eternity,  he  honoi^  the  Son  even 
as  he  honored  the  Father.  Tliere  is  no  stronger  expression  of 
faith,  and  no  more  solemn  act  of  worship  than  to  say  as  did 
the  holy  martyr :  "  Into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  spirit."  Yet 
such  was  Stephen's  prayer.  He  addressed  to  Christ  the  very 
same  petition  which  Christ  himself  on  the  cross  offered  to  his 
Father.  It  was  a  petition  which  Divinity  only  could  answer, 
it  was  a  deposit  of  priceless  worth  which  could  be  safely  in- 
trusted only  into  the  hands  of  the  Almighty. 

But  there  was  still  another  prayer  which  ascended  from  the 
martyrs  lieart  and  lips.     "  Kneeling  down,  lie  prayed  saying, 


103 

Lord,  lay  not  tliis  sin  to  their  charge."  "  Who  can  forgive  sin 
but  God  only  ?"  The  argument  for  the  divinity  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  involved  in  this  fact  is  unanswerable.  The  mis- 
erable attempts  that  have  been  made  to  evade  its  force,  only 
serve  to  show  how  impregnable  is  that  fundamental  doctrine 
of  our  faith.  Stephen  knew  that  the  guilt  of  his  persecutors 
and  murderers  was  fearful ;  he  intercedes  for  them,  nor  does  he 
plead  in  vain.  Among  that  raging  mob  was  one  whose  coun- 
tenance was  lighted  up  by  a  lurid  smile  of  satisfied  vengeance 
as  he  gazed  upon  the  mangled  and  lifeless  body  of  the  martyr — 
one  who  became  notorious  as  a  persecutor  of  the  Church, 
making  havoc  of  it,  haling  men  and  women  to  prison — the 
"  young  man  named  Saul,"  at  whose  feet  were  laid  the  gar- 
ments of  those  who  stoned  Stephen,  Can  we  doubt  that  the 
conversion  of  Saul,  the  persecutor  and  blasphemer,  into  Paul 
the  Apostle,  was  an  answer  to  the  dying  prayers  of  the  proto- 
martyr  ? 

"  And  when  he  had  said  this,  lie  fell  adee^P  Mark,  it  is 
not  said  he  died^  but  he  fell  asleep.  Surrendering  his  body  to 
the  earth,  and  committing  his  soul  to  Christ  in  the  exercise  of 
a  living  faith,  he  becomes,  if  I  may  say  so,  free  even  from 
himself.  His  work  is  done.  He  is  ready  for  rest.  He  has 
no  fear  of  those  who  can  kill  the  body.  He  breathes  forth  the 
melting  prayer  of  love,  which  should  have  subdued  even  his 
blood-thirsty  foes,  and  then  falls  asleep.  Beautiful  description 
of  the  death  of  God's  dear  children.  Whether  like  Stephen 
they  are  called  to  die  in  the  open  field  upon  a  stony  bed,  or  in 
their  own  home  surrounded  by  every  thing  that  ministers  com- 
fort or  mitigates  suffering,  it  is  a  falling  asleep^  a  pillowing 
their  aching  heads  on  the  arm  of  an  Almighty  Saviour.  Sleep 
on,  blessed  martyr,  till  that  last  morning  of  time  arrives,  when 
the  voice  of  Him  whom  thou  sawest  standing  at  the  right 
hand  of  God  shall  awake  thee  in  the  first  resurrection,  and 
bring  thee  in  soul  and  body  perfect  in  his  image  to  share  the 
glories  of  eternity. 


104 

This  history  contains  many  important  lessons,  some  of  -which 
have  been  noticed  in  passing.  Let  me,  in  conclusion  observe, 
that  we  have  here  a  striking  illustration  of  the  supports  which 
the  Saviour  vouchsafes  to  all  his  faithful  servants.  The  grace 
that  enabled  Stephen  to  discharge  his  duties  in  life,  fitted  him 
for  his  last  solemn  testimony,  his  final  and  fearful  trial.  lie 
who  was  his  support  in  life,  strengthened  him  in  death  ;  and 
tliat  too,  a  death  most  inhuman  and  horrible.  The  light  of 
heaven's  glory  shone  upon  his  face ;  the  opening  firmament 
revealed  to  his  enraptured  vision  his  living  Lord  ready  to  re- 
ceive him.  His  was  not  a  solitary  case.  A  multitude  of  the 
noble  army  of  martyrs  have  triumphed  over  death,  have  been 
so  sustained  amid  cruel  tortures  as  to  astonish  the  beholders — 
have  rejoiced  that  they  were  counted  worthy  to  sufier  for  the 
name  of  Jesus.  How  many,  too,  who  pining  through  long  weeks, 
or  months,  or  years  of  sickness,  have  felt  the  same  comforting 
presence  ;  how  many  who  have  endured  a  martyrdom  of  bodi- 
ly pain  through  many  a  long  year,  at  last,  full  of  faith  in  the 
love  and  faithfulness  of  God,  have  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus !  The 
dark  valley  has  opened  before  them,  but  they  have  not  been 
left  to  enter  it  alone.  The  Good  Shepherd  has  been  at  their 
side  with  rod  and  staflT.  Bright  forms  have  beckoned  them 
onward,  and  sweet  voices  have  whispered  their  assuring  "  Fear 
not."  Many  who  are  resting  their  hopes  of  eternal  life  on  the 
true  basis,  are  yet  distressed,  greatly  distressed,  at  the  thoughts 
of  dissolution.  Away  with  all  such  fears !  He  lives  who  is 
our  life.  I  can  not  tell  you  what  extraordinary  supports  God 
gives  to  dying  believers,  but  I  can  tell  you  I  have  seen  enough 
in  the  experience  of  dying  saints,  to  make  me  believe  that 
He  is  faithful  who  has  said :  "  As  thy  day  is  so  shall  thy 
strength  be." 

Live  lives  of  faith  in  the  Son  of  God,  and  you  shall  not  be 
permitted  to  die  in  darkness.  Let  your  daily  life  bear  testi- 
mony for  God,  and  at  your  death  God  will  bear  to  you  a  tes- 
timony of  the  goodly  land  to  which  you  are  going.    There  is 


105 

an  expression  used  of  Stephen,  wlneh  explains  the  cahnness 
and  fortitude  with  whicli  he  met  this  terrible  ordeal.  He  is 
described  as  being  "full  of  the  Holj  Ghost,"  AVhen  first 
brought  to  our  notice,  it  is  as  a  man  "  full  of  faith  ;"  and 
again,  when  his  hour  had  come,  "  he,  being  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  looked  up,"  etc.  Here  was  the  secret  of  his  strength. 
He  had  yielded  himself  to  the  teaching  and  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  now  when  the  trial  came,  the  Comforter  was 
with  him.  There  is  no  other  way  for  us  to  prepare  to  meet 
death,  but  by  submitting  to  be  taught  and  led  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Live  day  by  day  as  those  in  whom  he  dwells,  discharg- 
ing the  duties  of  the  day  ;  thus  shall  you  be  better  fitted  for 
your  Lord's  coming  than  by  any  special  acts  of  preparation  for 
death.  We  can  not  promise  you  after  fighting  the  good  fight 
of  faith,  such  glorious  things  as  cheered  the  eyes  of  the  proto- 
martyr,  but  we  can  assure  you  on  the  unfailing  authority  of 
God's  word,  that  they  who  put  their  trust  in  him  shall  never 
be  confounded,  that  at  eventide  it  shall  be  light ;  that  if  you 
are  faithful  unto  death,  you  shall  have  a  crown  of  life.  You 
know  not  when,  nor  where,  nor  how  you  shall  be  called  to 
yield  np  your  spirit.  Be  like  Stephen,  filled  with  the  Spirit, 
and  you  too  shall  see  heaven  opened,  and  when  you  sink  into 
your  last  slumber,  you  too  shall  fall  asleep  in  Jesus. 


106 


SERMON   VI. 

THE      LIFE      TO     COME. 

"  The  life  which  is  to  come." — 1  Tm.  4  :  8. 

M.vx  is  endowed  with  two  natures,  a  phj^sical  and  moral,  and 
lie  belongs  to  two  worlds,  the  world  that  now  is,  and  that  which 
is  to  come.  While  keenly  active  in  pursuing  what  are  usually 
termed  his  temporal  concerns,  he  is  obstinately  obtuse  and 
careless  in  regard  to  his  higher  and  more  enduring  spiritual 
interests.  To  correct  this  evil,  we  must  endeavor  to  impress 
him  with  the  surpassing  grandeur  and  importance  of  spiritual 
things,  and  to  show  him  that  a  just  estimate  of  these  is  essen- 
tially necessary  to  secure  his  temporal  welfare,  while  the  neglect 
of  them  exposes  him  to  a  dreadful  penalty,  from  which  it  should 
be  the  object  of  his  first  and  most  anxious  efibrt  to  escape,  even 
the  wrath  to  come.  The  word  of  God  illustrates  and  enforces 
these  momentous  truths,  and  the  great  business  of  the  Gospel 
ministry  is  to  ply  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  men  with  them, 
that  they  may  be  reclaimed  from  error,  and  induced  to  lay  hold 
of  eternal  life. 

Such  is  the  clear  import  of  the  passage  from  which  the  text 
is  taken.  The  Apostle  instructs  Timothy,  "  his  own  son  in  the 
faith,"  how  he  might  become  a  good  minister  of  Jesus  Christ, 
nourished  up  in  the  words  of  faith  and  good  doctrine.  He  ex- 
horts him  to  cultivate  himself,  and  to  recommend  to  others  the 
exercise  of  godliness,  which  is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having 
promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  that  wJdch  is  to  come.  This, 
he  adds,  is  a  iiiithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation. 
"  These  things  command  and  teach,  assured  that  by  so  doing 
thou  [Timothy]  shalt  both  save  thyself  and  them  that  hear 
thee." 


lor 

I  purpose,  this  morning,  to  direct  your  attention  to  that 
future  state  of  existence,  to  wliicli  the  Gospel  promise  refers, 
in  which  the  results  of  men's  conduct  shall  be  fully  deve- 
loped, and  their  character,  whether  it  be  good  or  ill,  shall  be 
consummated.  I  do  not  deem  it  necessary  to  enter  at  large 
into  the  proofs  that  there  is  a  future  life.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
evidences  of  this  vital  truth  may  be  found  outside  of  Scripture, 
in  the  common  belief  of  mankind,  in  the  aspirations  and  long- 
ings of  the  soul  after  immortality,  in  the  operations  of  con- 
science. These  are  witnesses  for  the  life  to  come,  the  force  of 
whose  testimony  even  the  most  determined  skeptic  can  not 
wholly  evade  or  resist. 

Passing  from  this  topic,  1  proceed  to  consider  the  distinguish- 
ing characteristics  of  the  future  life.  Correct  and  definite  views 
on  this  subject  are  of  the  utmost  importance.  "\Ye  may  admit 
the  general  fact  that  there  is  such  a  life,  and  yet  fall  into  great 
and  fatal  mistakes  respecting  its  nature.  The  Pagan,  the  Mo- 
hammedan, the  false  religionist  of  every  name,  accept  the  fact  of 
immortality;  they  believe  that  there  is  another  life,  but  their 
ideas  of  it  are  widely  different  from  the  teaching  of  the  word 
of  God.  And  as  men's  notions  of  the  life  which  is  to  come,  ne- 
cessarily exert  an  influence  upon  their  conduct  in  the  life  which 
now  is,  it  concerns  us  rightly  to  apprehend  the  lessons  of  Scrip- 
ture on  this  point,  that  our  present  duties  may  be  discharged 
in  such  manner  as  to  secure  our  future  and  eternal  interests.  I 
observe  then, 

1.  That  the  life  to  come  will  embrace  the  whole  of  man's 
complex  nature,  his  body  and  his  soul.  Both  these  are  essential 
partsof  the  man, namely,  the  body,  a  mere  material  organization, 
subject  to  physical  laws,  and  the  soul,  an  immaterial  principle 
to  which  belongs  the  higher  functions  of  consciousness,  thought, 
and  will.  The  soul  of  man  enters  upon  the  life  to  come,  im- 
mediately at  death.  Its  faculties,  so  far  from  being  injured  by 
that  event,  are  enlarged,  expanded,  quickened  into  intenser 
activity,  amid  the  scenes  which  are  now  so  mysterious  to  us* 


108 

Xor  have  we  reason  to  tliink  tliat  even  a  momentary  interval 
elapses  between  the  two  states  of  being.  The  last  instant  of 
the  life  that  now  is,  merges  into  the  first  instant  of  the  life 
which  is  to  come.  We  are  assnred  that  to  be  absent  from  the 
body,  is  to  be  present  with  the  Lord. 

And  in  that  coming  life,  the  body  shall  nltimately  have  a 
share.  We  see  it  sicken,  and  wither,  and  die.  We  look  into 
the  vault  and  the  sepulchre,  and  there  see  the  sentence  con- 
firmed, "  Dust  thou  art,  and  nnto  dust  thou  shalt  return." 
Age  after  age,  and  century  after  century  may  pass  away,  while 
the  once  beautiful  and  breathing,  framework,  the  dwelling  of 
the  soul,  lies  in  silent  and  seemingly  irreparable  ruin ;  but  a 
final  restoration  is  ordained,  and  amid  the  convulsions  of  an 
expiring  universe,  a  glorious  morning  shall  dawn  upon  the 
long  dark  night  of  the  grave.  When  the  mighty  angel  shall 
place  one  foot  on  the  land  and  one  on  the  sea,  and  swear  by 
Ilim  that  liveth  forever  and  ever,  that  time  shall  be  no  longer, 
then  shall  the  dominion  of  death  be  ended-,  and  all  who  are  in 
their  graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  shall 
come  forth.  The  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be 
raised.  There  shall  be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the 
just  and  the  unjust.  Such  are  the  declarations  of  the  word  of 
God,  from  which  we  learn  that  in  the  resurrection  of  the  last  day, 
the  body,  while  preserving  its  identity,  shall  undergo  in  some 
mysterious  mode  a  vast  and  refining  change  ;  it  shall  welcome 
again  the  soul  to  its  ancient  but  now  renovated  and  indestruct- 
ible abode,  and  thus  reiinited  shall  be  capable  of  a  joy  or  a 
sorrow,  of  which  we  can  now  form  no  conception.  And  thus 
the  life  to  come  shall  comprehend  the  whole  man  in  his  bodily 
and  spiritual  nature. 

2.  I  observe,  again,  that  the  life  to  come  will  be  one  of  re- 
tribution. 

The  future  world  is  that  in  which  God  shall  render  to  every 
man  according  to  his  works.  The  present  life  is,  in  one  sense, 
probationary,  and  will  be  succeeded  by  another,  in  which  men 
shall  reap  the  fruit  of  their  doings,  while  the  sanctions  of  that 


109 

scheme  of  moral  government  under  wliicli  they  are  now  placed, 
shall  then  be  ratified  and  enforced.  Each  sonl  as  it  enters  the 
unseen  world,  meets  the  sentence  that  shall  fix  its  destiny  ;  but 
on  the  last  great  day,  when  the  dead,  small  and  great,  shall 
stand  before  the  Judge,  there  shall  be  a  solemn  and  universal 
assize,  in  which  Heaven  shall  vindicate  its  procedure  in  the  face 
of  assembled  men  and  angels.  At  the  appointed  time  the 
heavens  shall  open,  and  there  shall  be  seen  descending  on  the 
clouds  "  that  Man,"  who  is  the  Judge  of  the  world — an  ap- 
pointment, of  which  God  hath  given  assurance  unto  all  men,  in 
that  He  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead.  He  shall  come  in  his 
own  glory,  and  the  glory  of  his  Father,  and  of  the  lioly  angels. 
He  shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory,  and  before  him  shall 
be  gathered  all  nations,  and  he  shall  separate  them,  one  from 
another,  as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats.  The 
two  classes  into  which  the  race  is  divided,  shall  then  undergo 
a  solemn  scrutiny,  conducted  on  the  principles  of  grace  and 
equity,  and  the  decision  of  that  day  shall  sunder  them  com- 
pletely and  perpetually,  the  one  class  entering  into  the  eternal 
joy  of  their  Lord,  the  other  going  into  eternal  banishment  from 
the  glory  of  his  presence  and  his  power. 

What  words  can  describe  the  bliss  that  shall  then  pervade 
the  heavenly  world  through  all  its  vast  extent !  It  shall  be  a 
fullness  of  joy,  and  pleasures  forevermore.  Eye  hath  not  seen, 
ear  hath  not  heard  it,  but  God  hath  revealed  unto  us  by  his 
Spirit,  that  heaven's  countless  and  glorious  myriads  having 
washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  shall  serve  God  day  and  night  in  his  temple.  He  who 
sitteth  upon  the  throne  shall  dwell  among  them  ;  there  shall  be 
no  more  sorrow  nor  death,  no  more  crying  nor  pain,  for  God 
shall  wipe  away  every  tear  from  their  eyes  ;  there  shall  be  no 
more  curse,  but  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb  shall  be  in  it, 
and  his  servants  shall  serve  him,  and  they  shall  see  his  face, 
and  his  name  shall  be  in  their  foreheads,  and  there  shall  be  no 
night  there,  and  they  need  ho  candle  nor  light  of  the  sun,  for 


110 

the  Lord  God  shall  give  tlieui  liglit,  and  they  shall  reign  for- 
ever and  ever. 

And  this  same  snre  word  of  prophecy  tells  ns  of  a  hell, 
wherein  men  shall  abide  in  endless  darkness  and  perdition. 
There  they  shall  feel  the  burning  of  the  flame,  and  the  gnaw- 
ing of  the  worm  that  dieth  not,  while  weeping,  wailing,  and 
gnashing  of  teeth  shall  be  their  perpetual  employ.  These  ter- 
rible expressions  denote  not  merely  corporeal  pains,  but  mental 
agonies  far  more  intense,  arising  from  the  ceaseless  working  of 
the  fierce  passions  of  rage,  remorse,  and  dark  despair.  Into 
one  of  these  two  worlds  all  the  sons  of  Adam  shall  be  gathered. 
To  one  or  tlie  other  of  them,  you  and  I  are  hastening  forward. 
Every  pulsation  of  your  heart  should  remind  you  of  the  rapid- 
ity with  which  you  are  hurrying  onward,  onward.  And  at  no 
distant  day,  all  who  have  ever  trod  the  earth,  M'ill  be  found  in 
heaven  or  in  hell.  O  my  dear  hearer!  let  me  beg  you  to 
pause,  and  ask  yourself,  Whither  am  I  going  ? 

3.  The  life  to  come  will  be  eternal  in  duration,  and  un- 
changeable in  character. 

In  the  present  world,  every  thing  with  which  we  are  fami- 
liar, contains  in  itself  the  seeds  of  decay  and  dissolution.  The 
cloud-capped  towers,  the  gorgeous  palaces,  yea,  the  great  globe 
itself,  which  we  inhabit,  shall  pass  away.  But  the  world  to 
come — and  this  fact  should  awaken  within  us  the  most  serious 
and  solemn  consideration — is  one  which  admits  of  no  change  ; 
there,  all  is  fixed  ;  there,  the  rewards  bestowed,  and  the  punish- 
ment inflicted,  shall  be  everlasting. 

As  to  the  eternal  duration  of  the  happiness  of  heaven,  none 
are  disposed  to  doubt.  "What  heart  does  not  yield  a  cheerful  and 
assenting  response  to  such  passages  of  Scripture  as  the  follow- 
ing, taken  in  their  plain  and  literal  sense :  "  He  that  believetli 
hath  everlasting  life" — "  our  light  aflflictions,  which  are  but  for  a 
moment,  work  out  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding,  even  an  eternal 
weight  of  glory" — "knowing  in  yourselves  that  ye  have  in 
heaven  a  better  and  an  enduring  substance ;"  "  blessed  be  the 


Ill 

God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  be"-otten 
us  unto  a  lively  hope,  to  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  unde- 
filed,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven  for  you." 
No  one  is  disposed  to  pervert  the  obvious  meaning  of  these 
words.  All  believe,  that  in  these  and  similar  texts,  everlasthuj 
means  everlasting^  that  enduring  means  enduring.  ISTo  one, 
in  short,  is  so  foolish  as  to  try  to  persuade  himself  or  others, 
that  the  happiness  of  heaven,  though  described  in  the  word  of 
God  as  endless  in  duration,  will,  in  fact,  come  to  an  end. 

But  when  the  dark  side  of  the  future  life  is  the  subject  of 
discussion,  how  many  revolt  at  the  announcements  of  the  di- 
vine word,  though  uttered  in  words  of  plainest  import,  and 
stand  ready  with  shallowest  sophistry  to  pervert  and  wrest  the 
Scriptures  ?  They  undertake  to  prove  that  when  punishment 
is  spoken  of,  everlasting  does  not  mean  everlasting ;  that  the 
endless  hell,  the  unquenchable  fire  of  the  Bible,  is  only  a  sort 
of  prolonged  purgatory,  the  result  of  which  shall  be  to  restore 
those  who  are  subjected  to  its  purifying  flame,  to  the  perfec- 
tion and  the  felicity  of  heaven.  Thus  do  men  wrest  the  Scrip- 
ture to  their  own  destruction,  and  so  silly  are  they  whom  the 
devil  leads  captive  at  his  will. 

It  may  seem  to  some  an  incongruous  task  on  the  part  of  a 
minister  of  Christ,  a  preacher  of  the  glad  tidings  of  redeeming 
mercy,  to  undertake  to  prove  that  there  is  an  eternity  of  wrath. 
But,  would  it  be  an  act  of  unkindness,  if  I  should  warn  a  pass- 
ing traveller  of  a  pitfall  in  the  road,  which  I  knew  to  exist, 
and  in  which  he  might  lose  his  life  ?  or  if  I  should  rouse  the 
sleeping  inmates  of  a  burning  habitation  ?  JSTo,  it  were  bar- 
barous in  me  not  to  do  it.  And  so  he  who  loves  the  souls  of 
his  fellow-men,  will  seek,  by  all  means,  to  save  them  from  the 
fearful  pei-ils  to  which  they  are  exposed,  warning  every  one 
with  the  utmost  plainness,  and  urging  them  with  all  earnest- 
ness to  flee  from  the  coming  wrath.  In  preaching  the  Gospel, 
Ave  must  not  only  set  forth  the  righteousness  of  God,  which  is 
by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  all  and  upon  all  them  that  believe, 


112 

but  witli  equal  distinctness  tlie  wrath  of  God,  wliicli  is  re- 
vealed from  heaven  against  all  nnf:;odliness  of  men. 

Xow,  if  you  look  into  the  New  Testament,  with  no  precon- 
ceived notions  as  to  what  it  must  contain,  you  will  find  the 
doctrine,  awful  as  it  is,  of  the  unchangeable  condition  of  the 
lost,  taught  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  a  manner  the 
most  plain* and  pointed.  For  instance,  there  is  the  striking 
parable  of  tlie  rich  man  and  Lazarus.  Here  the  latter  appears 
in  the  bosom  of  Abraham,  the  former  "  lifts  up  his  eyes  in  hell, 
being  in  torments."  The  rich  man's  earnest  appeal  to  Abra- 
ham, is  met  by  the  assurance  that  to  grant  it  was  impossible — 
a  great  and  impassable  gulf  was  between  them.  How  clear  is 
it  that  our  Lord  meant  to  teach  that  each  of  the  parties  in  the 
parable  was  "  fixed  in  an  eternal  state." 

xinother  passage,  bearing  upon  this  point  with  peculiar 
force,  is  contained  in  Mark  9  :  43-49  :  ''  And  if  thy  hand  ofiend 
thee,  cut  it  off  and  cast  it  from  thee ;  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter 
into  life  maimed,  than  having  two  hands  to  go  into  hell,  into 
the  fire  that  never  shall  he  quenched^  where  their  worm  dieth 
not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.  And  if  thy  foot  offiend,  cut 
it  off  and  cast  it  from  thee.  And  if  thine  eye  offend  thee, 
j)luck  it  out  and  cast  it  from  thee ;  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God  with  one  eye,  than  having  two  eyes 
to  be  cast  into  hell-fire,  where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the 
tire  is  not  quenched.  For  every  one  shall  be  salted  witii  fire." 
The  reiteration  in  these  verses  of  the  terrible  formula,  '■'' their 
worm  dieth  not,''''  "  the  fire  is  not  quenched,''''  is  very  noticeable, 
and  gives  an  awful  emphasis  to  the  lesson  taught.  Mark,  too, 
the  last  clause,  "  every  one  shall  he  salted  with  fire^  What 
does  tliis  singular  expression  mean  ?  The  sense,  as  many  able 
expositors  maintain,  is,  that  as  salt  preserves  from  corruption 
tlie  flesh  to  which  it  is  applied,  so  the  unquenchable  fire  shall 
render  every  thing  cast  into  it  as  imperishable  as  itself;  they 
shall  he  eternally  consuming,  yet  eternally  unconsumed.  The 
whole  passage  is  one  which  must  make  every  serious  man 


113 

to  tremble  while  lie  reads  it.  And  it  is  in  unison  with  the 
spectacle  which  John  beheld  amid  the  prophetic  visions  of 
Patmos,  of  men  seeking  death  and  not  finding  it,  men  eager 
to  die,  but  utterly  unable  to  do  so,  because  they  are  salted 
with  fire. 

Turn  again  to  Matthew  25,  a  chapter  in  which  with  a  more 
than  usual  minuteness  of  detail,  our  Lord  prophetically  pic- 
tures the  solemn  scenery  of  the  final  judgment.  All  nations 
stand  at  the  bar,  awaiting  the  sentence  of  the  "  Lord,  the 
righteous  Judge."  The  countless  assembly  consists  of  two  classes 
— the  righteous  and  the  wicked — which  are  now  completely 
separated.  Each  class  goes  to  its  own  place,  and  both  alike 
enter  into  a  state  changeless  and  eternal.  "Come,  ye  blessed 
children  of  my  Father,"  shall  the  King  say  to  those  on  his 
right  hand;  "inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world ;"  while  to  those  on  his  left  he  says : 
"  Depart,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire  prepared  for  the  devil 
and  his  angels.  These  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punish- 
ment, but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal."  The  same  word, 
denoting  eternity,  is  used  in  both  clauses  of  the  last  verse. 
Now  you  may  search  the  word  of  God,  and  you  will  search  in 
vain  for  a  single  passage  bearing  upon  the  future  destiny  of 
men,  which  does  not  perfectly  accord  with  the  obvious  import 
of  those  to  which  I  have  adverted. 

And  now,  brethren,  I  have  laid  before  you  this  truly  awful 
doctrine,  that  God's  wrath  is  revealed  from  heaven.  Search 
the  Scriptures  for  yourselves,  and  see  if  it  is  not  written  on  these 
sacred  pages.  Search  the  Scriptures  in  an  humble  and  docile 
temper,  remembering  that  on  all  such  matters  our  proper  busi- 
ness is  not  to  "  reason  high,"  and  argue  that  God  must  do  this 
or  that,  but  reverently  to  listen  to  his  voice  speaking  in  his 
word,  and  to  believe  what  he  tells  us  he  will  do  ;  thus  search 
the  Scriptures,  and  you  will  learn  that  the  torments  of  hell  are 
as  unending  as  the  glorious  felicity  of  heaven.  He  who  sinks 
8 


114 

into  the  abyss  of  woe,  shall  never  rise.  He  will  be  an  eternal 
monument  of  justice ;  and  even  while  the  exhaustless  vials  of 
divine  wrath  are  poured  out  upon  him,  his  own  conscience  will 
compel  him  to  confess  that  he  is  enduring  only  "  the  righteous 
judgment  of  God." 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  consider  the  practical  influence  which 
these  Scriptural  views  of  the  future  life  should  exert  upon  our 
hearts  and  our  daily  conduct.     I  remark, 

1.  That  the  life  which  is  to  come  should  be  the  subject  of 
our  habitual  contemplation.  It  has  been  revealed  to  us  for 
this  end.  And  who  can  doubt  that  it  should  be  made  the 
theme  of  daily  meditation  ;  that  it  should  so  engage  our  most 
serious  thoughts  as  to  beget  in  us  an  eager  desire  for  the  dawn- 
ing of  the  eternal  day,  a  confident  and  delightful  anticipation 
of  the  inheritance  reserved  in  heaven  for  all  who  are  M'ashed, 
sanctified,  and  justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  How 
exalted  does  man  appear,  as  a  being  invested  with  the  power 
of  an  endless  life  !  How  excellent,  how  noble  must  his  nature 
be,  seeing  he  is  an  heir  of  immortality  !  Man  is  not  the  mean 
and  paltry  creature,  which  a  vulgar  infidelity  would  persuade 
him  that  he  is — a  mere  material  organism,  which,  when  the 
brief  space  of  life  has  been  run,  is  destined  to  become  dust, 
or  to  sink  into  annihilation.  No.  You  bear  the  stamp  of 
eternity.  You  shall  exist  when  all  around  you  shall  have 
passed  away.  The  towering  pyramid,  the  gorgeous  palace, 
and  all  the  mightiest  monuments  of  art  shall  crumble.  The 
"  heaven-kissing"  mountain  shall  waste  away  ;  the  thunder  of 
the  cataract,  though  fed  by  ten  thousand  springs,  shall  be 
hushed  ;  the  tides  of  ocean  shall  cease  to  ebb  and  flow  ;  the 
stars  of  heaven  shall  fade,  and  the  moon,  that  has  for  ages 
walked  in  brightness,  shall  lose  her  splendor ;  the  visible  crea- 
tion, like  an  old  and  worn-out  garment,  shall  be  laid  aside  ; 
but  this  universal  wreck  of  matter  does  not  include  man. 
Nay,  the  hour  when  the  heaven  and  the  earth  are  to  be  dis- 


115 

solved,  shall  witness  man's  resurrection  to  a  new,  immortal, 
unchanging  life. 

How  solemn  a  thing  is  it  to  have  such  an  existence,  espe- 
cially when  we  remember  that  it  is  to  be  an  existence  in  hea- 
ven or  in  hell — an  existence  allied  to  boundless  felicity,  "  pro- 
gressing the  dateless  circle  of  eternity  with  joy  and  bliss  in 
over  measure  forever  ;"  or  an  existence  amid  the  darkness  of 
an  endless  midnight,  in  the  endurance  of  sorrows  such  as 
earth  never  knew,  tormented  day  and  night  with  the  lost  for- 
ever. IIow  awful  yet  how  grand  is  such  an  existence  !  You  • 
look  upon  the  little  child  which  has  just  opened  its  eyes  and 
has  then  closed  them  in  death,  and  you  ask  for  the  purposes  of 
its  creation.  The  question  would  admit  of  no  answer,  if  its 
career  terminated  in  the  tomb.  But  follow  it  upward  to  that 
world  where  John  saw  the  small  and  the  great  standing  before 
God,  and  where  we  are  told  their  "  angels  do  always  behold 
the  face  of  their  Father  in  heaven,"  and  can  you  then  say  they 
were  made  in  vain  ?  You  look  upon  the  face  now  cold  in 
death,  of  one  whose  life  was  marked  by  toil,  by  anxious  cares, 
by  heavy  trials,  and  you  ask,  What  is  there  in  such  a  life  to 
induce  a  man  to  covet  existence  ?  But  call  to  mind  the  faith 
which  sustained  the  departed  under  all  his  sorrows,  the  liope 
full  of  glory  which  cheered  him  when  his  flesh  fainted  and 
failed  ;  conjoin  in  your  contemplation  the  immortal  and  the 
mortal ;  think  not  only  of  the  "  sufferings  of  this  present  time," 
but  also  of  the  "far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory,"  and  then  I  am  sure  you  will  confess  that  this  man  had 
ample  reason  to  say,  with  one  distinguished  alike  by  his  trials 
and  his  virtues  :  "  Blessed  be  God  that  ever  I  was  born." 

Let,  then,  this  future  life  be  the  subject  of  your  frequent 
and  serious  contemplation.  Think  of  it  as  the  light  of  each 
new  morning  dawns  upon  you,  and  when  the  evening  shades 
prevail ;  think  of  it  in  the  house  and  by  the  way,  in  liealth 
and  sickness,  in  joy  and  sorrow,  in  youth  and  age.  Think  of 
it  as  yours.    There  is  no  place  in  which  the  thought  is  not  pro- 


116 

per  and  profitable.  And  while  you  are  diligently  performing 
your  daily  duties,  and  are  occupied  with  the  business  of  the 
life  that  now  is,  let  every  thing  possess  the  peculiar  tint  and 
color  which  is  derived  from  the  habitual  remembrance  of  the 
life  which  is  to  come. 

2.  The  contemplation  of  the  life  to  come  should  prompt  to 
dilio-ent  preparation  for  it.  This  is  the  reason  why  it  is 
revealed  to  us  in  the  word  of  God. 

And  in  what  does  the  preparation  consist,  by  which  we  may 
escape  the  world  of  woe,  and  secure  the  inheritance  laid  up  in 
heaven  ?  This  is  the  grand  point  in  the  whole  matter.  What 
shall  we  do  that  we  may  inherit  the  life  of  glory  ?  My  hearer, 
let  me  assure  you  that  for  this  end,  the  merit  of  penitence 
amounts  to  nothing,  the  merit  of  good  works  amounts  to  nothing. 
There  is  only  one  way  to  prepare,  and  this  way  is  discovered 
to  us  in  the  gracious  revelations  of  the  Gospel.  God,  whose 
government  we  have  resisted,  whose  law  we  have  broken,  in 
the  riches  of  his  love  and  mercy  has  devised  a  plan  by  which 
his  truth,  his  holiness,  his  justice  can  be  satisfied,  while  the 
offender  is  spared  and  accepted.  His  only  and  dearly  beloved 
Son  hath  been  "  given"  to  save  our  guilty  world.  Christ  died 
upon  the  cross  in  the  sinner's  room.  Here  God  can  be  just, 
while  he  justifies  the  ungodly  who  believe  in  Jesus.  Christ 
liath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a 
curse  for  us.  He  bore  our  sins  in  his  own  body.  But  how  do 
we  obtain  an  interest  in  Christ's  mei'its  ?  By  helieving.  He 
that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God  hath  everlasting  life. 

^''Believirxj,  wc  rejoice 

To  see  the  curse  remove  ; 
We  bless  the  Lamb  with  dieerful  voice, 
And  sing  his  bleeding  love." 

Do  you  ask,  what  is  believing  ?  It  is  the  simple,  cordial 
acceptance  of  the  testimony  of  God ;  or  it  is  to  receive  the 


117 

"faithful  saying,  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners."  My  hearers,  if  you  feel 
your  need,  or  your  peril ;  if  you  are  in  any  measure  allured 
by  the  bliss  and  the  glory  of  the  life  to  come,  or  are  alarmed 
by  tlie  revelation  of  the  wrath  to  come,  let  me  entreat  you, 
now,  without  delay,  to  receive  Christ  Jesus  the  Saviour.  Come 
to  Him  trusting  in  his  merits  and  his  righteousness.  Come, 
confidently  persuaded  that  they  are  yours  in  the  offer  of  God, 
that  you  are  entitled  to  appropriate  them  to  yourselves,  and 
that  "  there  is  no  condemnation  to  them  who  are  in  Christ.'" 
And  then,  haying  believed,  prove  the  reality  and  sincerity  of 
your  faith,  by  the  purity  and  holiness  of  your  lives.  For  while 
a  true  faith  justifies  the  person,  it  also  purifies  the  heart.  Thus 
believing:  and  thus  livino:,  the  hour  cometh  when  from  the  life 
that  now  is,  you  will  be  borne  away  to  the  life  that  is  to  come. 
And  when  death  appears  to  summon  you  away,  still  looking 
with  a  simple  faith  to  the  Crucified  One,  you  shall  find  that 
the  grave  has  lost  its  victory.  And  he  who  to  others  is  justly 
described  as  the  king  of  terrors,  to  you  is  only  the  friend  whom" 
Jesus  sends  to  call  you  to  his  arms.  As  you  bid  adieu  to 
earth,  you  shall  be  welcomed  into  Christ's  immediate  presence. 
There,  in  the  midst  of  the  Paradise  of  God,  you  shall  see  the 
King  in  his  beauty — him  who  is  fairest  where  all  are  fair,  and 
with  the  blood-bought  multitude  gathered,  round  him,  begin 
the  songs  and  the  services  which  shall  never  weary,  though 
they  shall  never  cease. 

I  speak  to-day  to  a  company  of  candidates  for  the  life  to 
come — to  a  company,  some  of  whom  may  soon  die,  yet  all  of 
whom  shall  live  forever.  For  that  life,  with  its  momentous 
issues,  there  are  those  before  me  who,  I  rejoice  to  believe,  are 
not  unprepared.  You,  dear  friends,  have  heard  without  dis- 
may what  has  been  said  respecting  its  solemn,  its  overpowering 
realities.  "With  adoring  love  and  gratitude,  you  survey  the 
wondrous  scheme  by  which  you  have  obtained  a  title  to  the 


118 

inlieritance  of  the  saints  in  light ;  with  jojfiil  confidence  you 
can,  or  at  least  you  may  say,  "  I  fear  no  evil,  I  know  in 
whom  I  have  believed."    What  a  blessing ! 

Aged  Christian !  thou  canst  not  be  very  far  from  the  hour 
when  thou  shalt  enter  upon  that  coming  life,  for  which  thou 
hast  been,  perhaps  these  many  years,  laboring  to  make  thyself 
meet — the  life  of  eternal  glory,  of  perfect  bliss.  Every  wave 
rolls  thee  nearer  to  the  shores  where  thou  shalt  behold  tliy 
Beloved,  and  tliy  Friend,  and  enter  into  everlasting  rest.  Fear 
not.  He  who  in  days  long  past  called  you  by  His  grace,  who 
lias  kept  you  through  all  your  journey  hitherto,  guarding  you 
with  a  ceaseless  love  and  care,  will  never,  no,  never  foreake 
you. 

And  are  there  not  some  here  whose  consciences  have  been 
all  along  telling  them  that  they  are  quite  unfitted  for  the  world 
to  come,  unprepared  for  heaven,  and  standing  every  hour  in 
jeopardy  of  hell  ?  Is  there  one  in  this  house  in  danger  of  los- 
ing his  soul  ?  Who  is  it  ?  Oh  !  let  us  all  put  to  our  hearts 
the  searching  question  :  "  Lord,  is  it  I  ?"  Examine  yourselves 
whether  ye  be  in  the  faith.  And  if  there  be  one  who  is  con- 
scious that  he  is  in  peril,  let  him  not  depart  from  this  sanctu- 
ary, without  resolving  in  the  strength  of  God  never  to  rest 
until  he  has  found  peace  and  safety  in  the  blood  of  Jesus. 
Hear,  then,  that  your  soul  may  live.  Hear  the  warning,  lov- 
ing, entreating  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  :  Whoso  belie veth  in 
me  shall  not  die  forever,  but  shall  have  the  life  eternal. 


119 


SERMON     VII. 

THE    VICTORY    OF    FAITH. 

"  Whatsoever  is  born  of  God  overcometh  the  world :  and  this  is  the  victory  that 
overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith." — 1  John  5  :  4. 

Among  tlie  primitive  disciples  of  our  Lord,  there  was  none 
who  exhibited  in  so  eminent  a  degree  the  ornament  of  a  meek 
and  quiet  spirit  as  he  who  leaned  on  the  bosom  of  his  Master. 
None  so  much  as  he  appears  to  have  treasured  up  the  sayings 
of  Jesus,  or  to  have  drank  more  deeply  of  the  spirit  of  that 
Gospel,  whose  mission  was  "  j)eace  on  earth  and  good  will  to- 
wards men."  And  yet  we  find  this  loving  disciple  continually 
referring  to  conflicts  and  adversaries,  to  resistance  and  victory, 
as  though  he  had  inherited  Ishmael's  spirit  and  Peter's  sword. " 

But  who  are  his  enemies  ?  Satan,  who  sinned  from  the  be- 
ginning, and  whom  the  Son  of  God  was  manifested  to  destroy ; 
Antichrist,  that  confessed  not  that  Jesus  was  come  in  the  flesh  ; 
hypocrites,  who  said  they  had  fellowship  with  Christ,  while 
they  walked  in  darkness;  liars,  who  said  they  loved  God 
and  hated  their  brother ;  apostates,  who  went  out  from  the 
disciples  because  they  were  not  of  them — in  a  word,  the  world 
lying  in  wickedness,  the  love  of  which,  and  conformity  to 
which,  is  alike  destructive  of  piety  and  peace. 

Now,  a  man  may  take  to  himself  the  whole  armor  of  God, 
and  set  himself  in  opposition  to  such  enemies  as  these,  without 
forfeiting  his  claims  to  the  character  of  a  man  of  peace  and 
love. 

Christianity  is  a  warfare  ;  every  follower  of  Christ  is  by  pro- 
fession a  soldier  ;  the  enemies  he  is  engaged  to  combat  are,  the 


120 

world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  It  is  of  the  firet  of  these  that  my 
text  more  especially  speaks.  Mankind  are  led  captive  by  it, 
but  the  Christian  resists  and  overcomes  it. 

The  AYord  of  God  presents  a  complete  and  consistent  view 
of  the  Christian  life.  A  view  which  observation  of  others  will 
substantiate,  and  personal  experience  will  confirm.  It  neither 
disguises  the  evil  of  things  as  they  are,  nor  conceals  the  difficult}- 
of  making  them  what  they  should  be.  It  describes  the  whole 
Christian  life  as  a  perpetual  conflict  between  good  and  evil, 
the  flesh  and  tlie  spirit,  light  and  darkness.  It  provides  spirit- 
ual weapons  for  a  warfare  that  is  not  carnal.  It  connects  the 
means  with  the  end,  and  represents  the  warfare  of  the  Christ- 
ian as  a  prelude  and  pre-requisite  to  the  victory.  "  Whatsoever 
is  born  of  God  overcometh  the  world  :  and  this  is  the  victory 
that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith." 

We  have  then  in  the  words  before  us  two  most  interesting 
and  important  considerations.  1st.  The  Christian's  victory. 
2d.  The  means  by  which  it  is  achieved. 

1st.  The  Christian's  victory.  In  the  text  the  apostle  assigns 
it  to  those  who  are  born  of  God,  and  in  the  fifth  verse  to  be- 
lievers in  the  Lord  Jesus.  Both  descriptions  apply  to  the 
same  individuals. 

The  Apostle  observes,  in  the  first  verse,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  born  of  God,  and  it  would 
have  been  equally  true  had  he  said  that  whosoever  is  born  of 
God  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ.  But  while  retjenera- 
tion  and  faith  are  thus  identified,  a  line  of  distinction  may  be 
usefully  and  properly  drawn  between  them.  The  one  de- 
scribes our  state,  the  other  our  character. 

Regeneration  introduces  us  into  the  new  world  of  grace. 
Whosoever  is  born  of  God  becomes  from  that  moment  his  child, 
restored  not  only  to  his  image,  but  made  partaker  of  all  his 
excellent  blessings.    While  such  is  the  Christian's  state,  his 


121 

distiuguishing  cliaracter  is  that  of  a  believer  in  Christ.     It  is 
by  faith  that  his  regeneration  has  been  instrumentallj  effected. 

The  special  object  of  faith  is  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour. 
Regeneration  brings  us  near  to  the  Father,  because  it  restores 
to  us  his  image.  The  feelings  of  a  regenerated  soul  towards 
God  are  those  of  a  child  towards  a  father ;  and  while  the  be- 
liever, as  such,  places  his  dependence  in  Jesus,  the  object  of 
his  faith,  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty,  depend 
habitually  upon  him  as  their  God  and  Father.  I  repeat  that  I 
am  speaking  of  the  same  individuals  in  different  relations  and 
different  characters.  Christ  said :  "  Te  believe  in  God,  believe 
also  in  me."  Thus  the  regenerate  person  shows  himself  to  be 
a  believer  in  Christ,  and  the  believer  in  Christ  approves  him- 
self to  be  regenerate  ;  and  hence  the  terms  as  characterizing 
the  child  of  God  are  convertible  and  of  like  signification. 

But  the  moment  a  man  becomes  a  subject  of  the  regenerat- 
ing influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  has  peace  with  God,  he 
comes  necessarily  in  conflict  with  Satan  and  the  world.  So 
long  as  a  man  is  dead  in  corruption  there  is  but  one  principle 
in  him,  even  that  of  the  flesh ;  but  quickened  by  grace  and 
born  again  of  an  incorruptible  seed,  there  are  two  principles, 
one  a  natural,  the  other  a  spiritual  principle  ;  and  these 
being  contrary  one  to  the  other,  there  must  be  a  conflict,  but 
we  thank  God  there  is  no  doubt  with  respect  to  the  issue  of 
the  contest. 

The  words  before  us  do  not  more  surely  assume  the  fact  that 
there  is  war,  than  they  assert  that  there  shall  he  victory.  Let 
us  look  at  this  victory.  The  text  asserts  that  whosoever  is 
born  of  God  overcometh  the  world,  but  says  not  a  word  of 
being  overcome.  Is  the  Christian  never  overcome  of  the 
world,  or  by  that  old  nature  through  which  the  world  ope- 
rates ?  And  is  the  fact  that  he  is  sometimes  so  overcome,  to 
negative  all  his  pretensions  to  piety,  and  to  lead  to  the  conclu- 


122 

sion  that  he  is  not  a  believer  in  Christ?  By  no  means  !  Woe 
to  us  if  we  bring  our  regeneration  to  such  a  touchstone !  Deep 
despair  would  seize  every  heart,  and  hope  would  be  blotted 
out  forever.  We  are  sanctified  but  in  part.  There  is  none 
that  doeth  good  and  sinneth  not.  The  declaration  is  to  be 
taken  in  the  same  sense  as  that  in  ninth  verse.  Whosoever  is 
born  of  God  doth  not  commit  sin ! 

The  believer  overcomes ;  the  believer  sins  not  inasmuch  as 
it  is  his  habitual  aim  and  purpose  not  to  sin.  Sin  may  live  in 
the  Christian,  but  the  Christian  does  not  live  in  sin.  Though  not 
destroyed,  sin  is  dethroned  in  him.  He  does  not  so  sin  as  to  de- 
nominate him  a  sinner,  in  opposition  to  a  saint  or  subject  of  God. 

That  the  believer  can  not  commit  an  act  of  sin,  no  judicious 
interpreter  of  the  word  of  God  would  venture  to  affirm.  That 
would  be  contrary  to  the  teaching  of  chap.  1  :  9,  of  this  epistle, 
where  it  is  made  our  duty  to  confess  our  sins,  with  the  conse- 
quent privilege  of  having  them  forgiven.  The  declaration  of 
the  text  is  to  be  understood  of  what  is  habitual  and  not  of  what 
is  occasional — of  the  habit,  rather  than  of  any  individual  act. 
He  overcometh  the  world — that  is,  he  is  always  at  war  with  it, 
and  though  at  times  surprised,  his  course  is  that  of  a  conqueror, 
of  one  who  presses  forward,  pulling  down  one  stronghold  after 
another. 

There  is  another  idea  involved,  and  that  is,  that  whenever 
the  Christian  sets  himself  to  fight  the  world,  he  is  sure  to  over- 
come it.  In  many  a  surprise  he  is  defeated,  in  the  heat  of 
battle  never.  God  has  given  to  every  soldier  of  the  cross  a 
shield,  whereby  he  may  be  able  to  quench  all  the  fiery  darts 
of  the  wicked  one  ;  and  upon  that  shield  is  inscribed  :  "  Te 
shall  not  be  tempted  above  that  ye  are  able  to  bear."  If  over- 
come, it  is  because  the  Christian  armor  is  not  rightly  put  on, 
and  we  sleep  on  our  post  and  parley  with  the  tempter.  But 
while  denying  that  sinless  perfection  is  ever  to  be  attained 
here,  do  not  understand  us  as  representing  the  believer  as 


123 

under  any  necessity  of  doing  what  is  evil.  'No !  God  hath 
commanded  us  not  only  to  be  holy  but  to  be  perfect,  and  he 
hath  given  us  means,  in  the  use  of  which  we  may  gain  the  vic- 
tory ever  and  always. 

JSTow  here  is  a  seeming  paradox,  but  it  is  one  which  every 
child  of  God  can  readily  understand.  He  believes  that  the 
grace  of  God  is  sufficient,  and  yet  he  tnows  that  in  many 
things  he  offends.  He  believes  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  be 
overcome  if  taking  to  himself  the  whole  armor  of  God,  pray- 
ing with  all  prayer,  and  watching  thereto  with  all  persever- 
ance ;  but  he  believes  it  possible,  because  he  knows  that 
nothing  short  of  perfection  would  secure  the  vigilance  de- 
manded.    But  there  is  such  a  thing  as  overcoming  even  when 

we  fall. 

"  His  saints  in  all  this  glorious  war, 
Shall  conquer  though  they  die." 

Every  repulse  that  reveals  to  us  our  need  of  increased  watch- 
fulness ;  every  assault  that  exhibits  the  skill  and  strategy  of 
our  foe,  and  that  drives  to  a  closer  alliance  and  a  more  implicit 
trust  in  the  great  Captain  of  our  salvation,  tends  alike  to  the 
discomfiture  of  our  foe  and  our  more  perfect  security  in  Christ. 
]!fow,  in  what  do  they  that  are  born  of  God  overcome  the 
world  ?  By  the  world  we  understand  all  that  centres  and  ter- 
minates in  this  present  state  of  being ;  that  which  is  limited 
to  time,  and  ventures  not  a  thought  beyond  it ;  that  which 
perishes  in  the  using,  and  defiles  and  curses  by  the  abuse 
thereof.  We  enter  into  no  indiscriminate  crusade  against  the 
good  things  of  this  life,  its  enjoyments  and  endearments. 
These  are  the  gifts  of  God ;  they  give  elasticity  to  the  spirit 
and  sunshine  to  the  soul,  and  we  would  not  impair  the  one  or 
overcloud  the  other.  There  is  no  harm  in  acquiring  wealth 
or  aspiring  to  honor,  in  cultivating  taste  or  intellect,  so  long 
as  these  things  are  kept  in  due  bounds,  and  in  harmony  with 
man's  present  and  future  well-being. 


124 

"  The  blessing  Thy  free  bounty  gives, 
Let  me  not  cast  away  ; 
For  God  is  paid  when  man  receives — 
To  enjoy  is  to  obey." 

An  abuse  of  the  world  is  the  evidence  of  follj,  a  right  use  of 
it  is  the  evidence  of  ftiith.  The  evil  lies  not  in  the  seeking 
of  these  things,  but  in  making  them  the  chief  object  of 
pursuit,  in  suffering  them  to  engross  and  till  the  heart  to  the 
exclusion  of  that  godliness  which  is  profitable  both  for  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  for  that  which  is  to  come. 

The  world,  then,  is  practically  overcome  when  the  heart, 
though  conversant  with  these  things,  is  not  occupied  and  en- 
grossed by  them.  When  the  downward,  grovelling  tendency 
of  the  soul  is  counteracted  by  heavenly  aspirations  ;  when  we 
are  led  by  each  stream  of  mercy  up  to  the  source  of  all  good  ; 
when  every  accession  of  good  to  our  store  is  regarded  as  an  in- 
crease of  responsibility,  a  means  of  greater  good  and  usefulness 
to  others,  and  of  more  needed  vigilance  to  ourselves ;  when 
amid  all  our  present  comforts  we  can  esteem  ourselves  as  pil- 
grims and  strangers  who  tarry  but  for  a  night.  "With  these  feel- 
ings, Christians  overcome  the  injluence  of  the  world  as  an  ex- 
ample. The  same  motives  which  impel  us  to  seek  the  society 
of  others,  impel  us  more  or  less  to  adopt  their  principles  and 
habits.  And  the  same  depravity  and  forgetfulness  of  God 
which  leads  one  class  of  pei-sons  to  set  an  evil  example,  leads 
others  to  copy  and  follow  it.  God,  however,  demands  that 
our  imitation  of  others  cease  when  it  conflicts  with  obedience 
to  his  will.  "Thou  shalt  not  follow  a  multitude  to  do  evil." 
Here  the  warfare  begins,  and  the  Christian  alone  is  faithful 
and  victorious.  Unregenerate  and  unbelieving  men  are  borne 
onward  by  interest  and  inclination,  and  regardless  of  the  voice 
of  God,  choose  the  world  for  their  portion ;  but  the  renewed 
and  believing  Christian  hears  the  voice  of  Ilini  who  says :  "  Ye 


^125 

are  not  of  the  world ;  I  pray  that  ye  may  be  kept  from  tlie 
evil  of  it." 

Again,  Christians  overcome  the  love  of  the  -world  as  appor- 
tion. That  same  grace  which .  reveals  Christ  in  all  his  pre- 
cionsness  and  fullness,  discovers  the  emptiness  and  vanity  of 
the  world  as  a  portion. 

"  When  I  can  say  my  God  is  mine, 
When  I  can  feel  his  glories  shine, 
I  tread  the  world  beneath  my  feet, 
And  all  the  world  calls  good  or  great." 

Both  their  taste  and  judgment  respecting  it  are  changed  and 
modified  by  regeneration  and  faith.  The  desires  of  the  soul 
are  no  more  limited  by  the  things  of  time  and  sense.  They 
have  a  new  spiritual  appetite  and  perception,  and  while  the 
unsatisfied  of  earth  ask,  "  Who  will  show  ns  any  good  ?"  their 
prayer  is  :  "  Lord,  lift  thou  up  the  light  of  thy  countenance 
upon  us."  Thou  hast  put  gladness  in  our  heart  more  than 
when  their  corn  and  their  wine  increased.  " 

Every  thing  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the 
eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,  is  fascinating  to  the  corrupt  heart, 
and  gains  an  ascendant  over  all  while  in  their  natural  state. 
But  the  regenerate  person  has  higher  pleasures,  which  he 
chooses  as  his  supreme  good,  and  for  which,  if  need  be,  he 
would  forfeit  all  of  earth.  He  feels  that  earthly  vanities  de- 
base the  soul,  and  he  will  no  longer  be  led  captive  by  them. 
lie  says  :  "  Depart  from  me,  I  will  keep  the  commandments 
of  my  God." 

In  like  manner  Christians  overcome  the  fear  of  the  world. 
The  world  will  take  up  arms  against  those  who  dare  to  oppose 
its  maxims  and  its  habits.  Sometimes  by  contempt  and  ridi- 
cule, at  other  times  by  the  most  envenomed  persecution,  it  will 
endeavor  to  check  the  Christian's  progress.  But  the  children 
of  God  are  under  his  special  care  and  protection ;  believing  in 
Christ,  they  are  strong  in  him  and  the  power  of  his  might. 


126 

Hence  the  world's  hostility  does  not  alarm  them.  Like  distant 
thunder  it  vibrates  on  the  ear,  but  it  comes  not  near  the  heart, 
and  if  the  whole  creation  were  to  rise  up  against  them,  they 
would  say  with  the  first  disciples :  "  Whether  it  be  right  to 
hearken  unto  God  more  than  unto  you,  judge  ye." 

But  not  only  does  the  soul  born  of  God  and  trusting  in 
Christ  overcome  the  trials  and  temptations  of  the  M'orld,  but 
he  also  overcomes  the  fear  of  leaving  it.  Thus  it  was  with 
Job ;  out  of  his  distresses  he  cried,  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth ;"  and  David,  "  Yea  though  I  walk  through  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil."  Thus  it  was  with 
Paul ;  he  had  been  no  stranger  to  trials  and  temptations,  and 
nobly  did  he  bear  himself  through  all,  but  the  accents  of 
triumph  which  burst  from  him  on'  the  confines  of  eternity, 
might  well  have  compensated  for  all  the  thorns  and  roughness 
of  tlie  road  by  which  he  had  travelled.  Who  but  one  born  of 
God,  whose  faith  is  fixed  on  Him  who  is  invisible,  ever  spoke 
in  such  accents  as  these  ?  "  I  am  now  ready  to  be  ofiered,  the 
time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good  fight, 
I  have  finished  my  course,  and  kept  the  faith ;  henceforth  there 
is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness."  He  who  could 
thus  speak  was  a  conqueror  indeed ;  lie  was  sure  of  victory, 
and  he  waited  for  death,  not  in  the  attitude  of  a  victim,  but  of 
one  who  knew  that  he  should  triumph  over  his  last  enemy. 
Well  might  he  say,  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ  is  better. 

Paul  stands  not  alone.  The  beloved  disciple  in  a  spirit  of 
like  glorious  triumph,  exclaimed :  "  Beloved,  now  are  we  the 
sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be,  but 
when  he  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see 
him  as  he  is."  And  from  the  days  of  Paul  and  John  until 
now,  Christ  hath  never  wanted  a  people  reducing  to  holy  and 
habitual  practice  tlicir  belief  of  the  shortness  and  uncertainty 
of  life,  knowing  that  they  have  ia  heaven  a  better  and  more 
endurintj  substance. 


U1 

So  much  for  the  declaration  :  "  Whatsoever  is  born  of  God 
overcoraeth  the  world." 

II.  We  pass  on  to  notice,  secondly,  the  means  by  which  he 
achieves  it.     "And  this  is  the  victory,  even  onr  faith." 

The  effect  is  here  put  for  the  efficient  cause.  Faith  is  the 
cause,  the  means,  the  instrument.  The  Christian  to  his  latest 
hour  has  no  strength  in  himself,  but  believing  in  Christ  he  is 
strong  in  the  Lord.  And  through  the  faith  thus  formed  in  his 
soul  he  is  enabled  to  maintain  the  conflict  even  to  the  end. 

What  then,  you  will  ask  us,  is  faith  ?  It  is  not  simply  a 
belief  that  there  was  such  a  person  as  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  that  he  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.  It  is  not  the 
adoption  of  an  orthodox  creed.  Nor  does  it  consist  in  a  mere 
mechanical  and  unreasoning  assent  to  the  doctrines  in  which 
we  may  have  been  educated,  and  which  flow  from  the  truth 
that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God.  There  must,  in  order  to  a  true 
faith,  be  an  assent  of  the  understanding,  there  must  be  a  con- 
scious prostration  of  our  own  reason  before  the  profound  and 
unfathomable  wisdom  of  God,  there  must  be  an  appropriation 
of  the  promises  of  God.  By  faith  we  must  apprehend  the 
all-sufficiency  of.  Christ  and  the  blessedness  of  that  salvation 
which  is  so  perfectly  adapted  to  our  necessities,  and  so  worthy 
of  his  infinite  greatness.  We  must  look  by  faith  on  the  Lamb 
of  God  taking  away  the  sins  of  the  world  with  a  personal  ap- 
prehension of  the  magnitude  of  our  sins  which  he  came  to  take 
away.  The  language  of  a  mere  intellectual  faith  may  be,  "  I 
believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,"  but  the  language 
of  saving  faith  is,  "  He  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  r/ie." 

The  elements  then  of  a  true  and  living  faith  are,  conviction, 
obedience,  appropriation.  These  are  inwrought  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  which  convinces  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judg- 
ment to  come,  which  develops  the  innate  depravity  of  the 
human  heart,  impresses  it  with  a  consciousness  of  the  wrath  of 
God  denounced  against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of 


li>8 

men,  ^vhicli  jjoints  to  the  Lamb  of  God  taking  away  the  sins  of 
the  world,  which  connects  deliverance  from  the  condemnation 
of  sin  with  divorcement  from  its  pollution,  and  constrains  him 
who  names  the  name  of  Christ  to  depart  from  all  iniquity. 

Faith  is  the  life  of  holiness  based  upon  a  principle  of  grace. 
A  faith  which  is  to  endure  the  struggle  and  achieve  the  vic- 
tory must  be  a  living,  working,  loving  faith.  This  will  lead 
its  possessor,  in  every  conflict  with  the  world,  to  remember 
that  one  principal  end  for  which  the  Lord  Jesus  gave  himself 
for  us  w^as  to  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity.  Under  this  convic- 
tion, he  girds  on  his  armor,  engages  on  the  side  of  Christ, 
resolved  that  an  object  so  dear  to  Christ,  shall  be  accom- 
plished. "Who  can  estimate  the  constraining  power  of  such  a 
motive  that  asks,  in  every  season  of  temptation.  How  can  I 
do  this  great  wickedness  and  sin  against  God — God  my  Saviour 
and  Eedeemer  ? 

Let  the  world  seek  to  win  him  back  to  its  allurements,  he 
shuts  his  ears  to  its  syren  voice,  and  cries.  Life,  life,  eternal 
life.  Let  the  world  and  Satan  say,  All  these  things  shalt  thou 
have  if  thou  wilt  serve  me,  he  answers  by  a  fresh  weapon 
drawn  from  the  armory  of  trutli,  and  walks  under  the  powers 
of  the  world  to  come.  His  faith  lays  hold  of  the  example  of 
the  Son  of  God,  his  heart  recalls  the  blessed  truths  he  uttered, 
and,  helieving,  the  world  is  conquered.  Constrained  by  the 
love  of  Christ,  he  wars  a  good  warfare,  and  thus  endures  unto 
the  end. 

AVhile  from  faith  the  Christian  derives  his  motives,  from 
faith  also  he  receives  his  strength.  Who  is  he  that  over- 
cometh,  but  he  that  believeth  ?  By  faith  he  is  united  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  as  a  branch  to  the  vine,  and  by  faith  also  he  re- 
ceives out  of  Christ  according  to  his  necessities.  In  Christ  he 
is  strong  and  invincible,  and  through  Christ  he  can  do  all 
things. 

To  the  natural  man,  the  conduct  of  the  Christian  is  perfectly 


129 

inexplicable.  He  can  not  understand  liow  a  poor  creature 
like  himself  can  overcome  the  allurements  of  sense,  the  snares 
of  the  Devil,  or  the  terrors  of  a  wicked  and  hostile  world. 
But  the  believer's  strength,  like  his  life,  lies  hid  in  Christ,  and 
therefore  it  is  that  the  worm  Jacob  shall  thresh  the  mountain, 
shall  rejoice  in  the  Lord  and  glory  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel. 
Thus  does  he  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  and  thus  is  he  made 
more  than  conqueror  through  Him  that  loved  him. 

In  this  subject,  brethren,  we  are  furnished  with  a  test 
whereby  to  try  our  state ;  it  is  one  from  which  there  is  no 
escape,  it  marks  us  distinctly  and  decidedly  as  born  of  God. 
believing  in  Christ,  and  overcoming  the  world  ;  or  as  unre- 
generate,  unbelieving,  and  overcome  of  the  world.  Are  you 
born  of  God?  Is  yours  a  faith  that  lives,  feels,  acts,  that 
listens  to  God's  word  with  humility,  that  speaks  to  God  in 
prayer,  that  "  works  by  love  and  overcomes  the  world"  'I 
Nothing  is  more  reasonable  than  to  test  the  reality  of  faith 
by  the  object  it  was  intended  to  accomplish.  That  which 
avowedly  fails  of  its  avowed  purpose,  is  worthless,  is  dead,  it 
will  not  profit.  It  may  serve  to  pacify  the  compunctions  of 
an  easy  conscience,  but  it  will  not  abide  the  scrutiny  of  a 
Holy  God.  But  if  you  have  the  principle  of  faith  in  your 
heart,  and  others  are  constrained  to  acknowledge  that  you 
war  a  good  warfare,  overcoming  evil  with  good,  then  however 
long  may  be  the  conflict,  it  will  still  be  true,  ay,  true  to  all 
eternity,  that  "  Whatsoever  is  born  of  God  overcometh  the 
world,  and  this  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even 
our  faith." 

"We  trust  there  are  many  present  who  can  testify  that  there 
is  nothing  visionary  either  in  the  conflict  or  the  victory  of 
which  we  have  spoken.  Tours  is  the  ever-present  conscious- 
ness that  life  is  a  warfare.  Fain  would  you  fight  over  every 
battle  in  which  you  were  vanquished,  conscious  that  through 
faith  in  Christ  you  might  overcome.     To-day  you  would  thank 


130 

God  for  every  victory  in  the  past,  and  take  courage  for  the 
future,  believing  that  he  who  has  been  your  strength  thus  far 
is  ready  as  ever  to  aid  you  in  the  struggle.  I  know  not  what 
your  trials  may  be,  but  I  know  that  in  Christ  there  is  strength 
equal  to  your  day.  I  know  not  with  what  temptations  you 
may  have  to  contend,  but  I  know  that  Satan  can  never  hurl  a 
weapon  which  the  shield  of  faith  can  not  turn. 

The  promise  to  him  that  believes,  is  not  only  that  he  shall 
be  a  conqueror,  but  Tnore  than  conqueror.  Grasp  that  promise 
in  its  unrestricted,  boundless  fullness — bind  it  to  your  soul, 
believing  that  neither  life  nor  death  shall  ever  be  able  to 
separate  you  from  Him  who  has  promised :  "  To  him  that  over- 
cometh  will  I  give  of  the  tree  of  life,  yea  to  him  will  I  give 
to  sit  with  me  on  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame  and  am 
set  down  with  my  Father  on  his  throne."  Yet  a  little  and 
you  will  have  fought  your  last  battle,  you  shall  stand  on  the 
borders  of  eternity.  Nay,  ye  shall  enter  in  where  no  enemy 
can  follow,  and  be  of  that  company  of  whom  it  is  written : 
^'  Tliey  overcame  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 


131 


SERMON    VIII. 

THE    CONVERSION    OP    SAUL    OP    TARSUS. 

"And  as  he  journeyed,  he  came  near  Damascus :  and  suddenly  there  shined  round 
about  him  a  light  from  heaven :  and  he  fell  to  the  dearth,  and  heard  a  voice  saying 
unto  him,  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  ?  And  he  said.  Who  art  thou,  Lord  ? 
And  the  Lord  said,  I  am  Jesus,  whom  thou  persecutest.  And  he  trembling,  and 
astonished,  said,  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
him.  Arise,  and  go  into  the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do." — 
Acts  9  :  3-6. 

Few  men  have  filled  so  large  a  place  in  the  world's  history 
as  the  Apostle  Paul.  Of  most  of  the  great  names  of  past  ages 
it  may  be  said  that  their  glory  has  culminated  and  declined  ; 
but  the  name  of  Paul  has  never  lost  its  lustre ;  on  the  contrary, 
each  day  has  added  to  the  almost  countless  multitude  of  those 
who  from  century  to  century  have  loved  to  think  of  his  career, 
and  have  embalmed  his  memory  in  their  hearts.  As  Jesus 
said  of  her  who  poured  the  precious  ointment  on  his  head,  and 
so  anointed  him' for  his  burial,  so  may  it  be  said  of  this  great 
Apostle,  "  Wheresoever  this  Gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the 
whole  world,"  there  shall  be  found  a  memorial  of  him. 

His  conversion  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  events  in  New 
Testament  history ;  and  on  these  records  he  stands  out  with  a 
singular  prominence  and  individuality,  while  the  impress  of 
his  character  has  been  made  not  only  on  the  Church  of  the 
Apostles,  but  upon  the  Church  Catholic.  The  clearness  of  his 
perception  of  the  truth  in  Jesus,  stands  in  marked  contrast 
with  the  slowness  of  heart  of  others  who  were  in  Christ  and  in 
the  apostolic  office  before  him.  His  boldness  showed  itself  not 
as  that  of  the  impetuous  Peter  sometimes  did,  in  empty  words, 
but  by  heroic  labors  in  many  lands,  amid  perpetual  peril  of 
losing  all  that  men  hold  dear.     His  burning,  never-flagging 


132 

zeal  for  the  glory  of  the  Church,  the  extension  of  the  Gospel, 
and  the  salvation  of  men,  was  like  that  described  in  Psalm  69, 
"  The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up."  Boldness,  ener- 
gy, and  decision,  were  among  the  natural  qualities  of  Saul ; 
nor  were  these  features  lost,  when,  renewed  by  the  grace  ot 
Christ,  he  became  a  new  man.  On  the  contrary  they  were  still 
more  strikingly  displayed  by  him  during  the  whole  of  his  sub- 
sequent career.  True  religion,  indeed,  ever  lays  hold  of  the 
powers  which  man  has  prostituted  and  perverted  to  the  service 
of  evil,  and  enlists  them  in  the  cause  of  God  and  truth.  Grace 
removes  from  the  character  of  man  only  those  features,  and 
roots  out  of  tlie  heart  only  those  principles,  which  are  intrinsic- 
ally evil,  implanting  truth  in  the  room  of  falsehood,  honor  in 
place  of  dishonesty. 

Paul  was  one  of  nature's  noblemen.  Blind  he  might  be, 
and  mistaken  as  to  the  real  nature  of  the  work  in  which  he  was 
eiifi-aged,  butlie  brought  to  it  a  hearty  earnestness  and  honesty, 
of  purpose.  He  verily  thought  he  was  doing  God  service 
while  the  powers  of  hell  were  exulting  in  what  he  did.  He 
was  just  one  of  those  intensely  sincere  and  energetic  men  for 
whose  conversion  to  God  we  can  not  help  wishing  the  instant 
we  come  into  contact  with  them.  A  vigorous  persecutor,  he 
became  a  still  more  vigorous  preacher ;  strong  in  his  self-right- 
eousness, he  became  yet  stronger  in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ 
Jesus ;  a  zealous  defender  of  the  law,  he  became  a  no'  less 
zealous  champion  of  the  Gospel.  For  this  very  purpose  did 
God  raise  him  up ;  and  nobly  did  he  fulfill  his  exalted  mission. 
Well  may  we  praise  him ;  for  in  so  doing  we  only  reflect 
lionor  upon  the  cross  in  which  alone  Paul  gloried  ;  we  only 
magnify  that  grace  of  which  Paul  was  so  illustrious  a  monu- 
ment and  so  eloquent  an  advocate. 

Tlie  convei*sion  of  Saul  of  Tarsus — the  subject  to  which  I 
invite  your  attention — is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  events  in 
the  annals  of  the  Church,  and  it  is  so  whether  viewed  as  an 


133 

example  of  the  mercy  of  God,  or  as  a  proof  of  the  divine  ori- 
gin of  Christianity.  Perhaps  there  was  not  then  a  person  upon 
earth,  whose  conversion  to  Christ  seemed  more  unlikely  than 
that  of  Saul.  He  was  conspicuous  among  the  enemies  of  the 
cross  ;  and  accordingly,  when  Ananias  was  told  to  go  to  him, 
he  replied,  "  Lord,  I  have  heard  by  many,  of  this  man  ;"  and 
what  he  had  heard  made  him  no  w^ay  desirous  to  see  him.  "•  I 
have  heard  what  evil  he  hath  done  to  the  saints  at  Jerusalem.'"' 
His  name  was  one  of  terror  to  the  infant  Church  ;  and  at  this 
very  moment  he  had  authority  from  the  chief  priests  to  bind 
all  who  bore  the  name  of  Jesus.  In  that  scene  of  martyrdom 
in  which  holy  Stephen  was  the  victim,  Saul  was  a  consenting 
witness,  if  not  an  active  agent.  Yet  he  was  not  a  rude,  ignor- 
ant fenatic.  He  was  a  man  of  intelligence,  and  of  culture. 
He  was  one  of  those  who  sat  at  Gamaliel's  feet;  and  as  a 
dweller  in  Jerusalem,  he  must  have  had  many  opportunities  to 
see  the  tokens  of  the  Spirit's  presence,  in  the  miracles  of  heal- 
ing, and  especially  in  the  transformation  of  character  among 
Christians. 

Then,  too,  he  was  a  Jew,  and  not  a  heathen.  He  was  deeply 
imbued  with  the  prejudices  of  the  Jewish  people,  who  were 
ever  saying,  "  "We  be  Abraham's  seed  ;"  "  The  temple  of  the 
Lord  are  we."  He  was  one  of  the  chosen  race,  beyond  whose 
pale  there  was  no  salvation.  This  is  one  of  the  strongest  bonds 
wherewith  error  and  the  devil  enslave  men.  It  is  one  of  the 
secrets  of  that  mystery  of  iniquity — ^Popery — by  which  she 
binds  and  blends  her  votaries  to  all  her  idolatry  and  corrup- 
tions. "  We,"  say  they,  "  are  tlie  Church,  and  out  of  our  com- 
munion there  is  no  salvation."  Truly  a  miracle  is  needed  to 
rescue  the  devotees  of  such  a  faith  from  its  yoke.  Saul  of  Tar- 
sus saw  in  the  Gospel  the  grand  antagonist  of  the  Judaism  to 
which  he  was  bound  by  the  strongest  ties,  and  hence  all  his 
feelings,  whether  of  patriotism  or  of  religion,  his  reverence  for 
Moses,  and  his  love  for  Jerusalem,  combined  to  steel  his  heart 
against  the  claims  of  Jesus  of  Kazareth. 


134 

Nor  was  this  all :  he  was  a  Pharisee,  as  well  as  a  Jew — one 
of  the  strictest  of  that  rigid  sect — zealous  for  the  law,  and  able 
to  boast  of  a  blameless  obedience  to  its  requisitions.  Living 
in  the  proud  consciousness  of  this,  and  of  his  merit  before  God, 
he  could  heartily  join  that  other  Pharisee  noticed  in  the  'New 
Testament,  in  saying:  "  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other 
men."  A  system  which  required  him  to  renounce  all  sucli 
claims  and  hopes,  and  to  confess  himself  a  guilty  sinner,  de- 
serving only  of  the  wrath  of  God,  could  not  be  otherwise  than 
abhorrent  to  him.  Now  such  men  are  harder  to  reach  than 
almost  any  other.  "  The  publicans  and  harlots,"  said  Christ  to 
them,  "  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  before  you." 
Hopeless,  in  our  view,  as  is  the  case  of  the  abandoned  profli- 
gate, that  of  the  proud  Pharisee,  with  his  spotless  exterior,  his 
seeming  virtue,  is  still  worse.  Such,  then,  was  Saul — a  man 
whose  conversion  was  to  the  last  degree  improbable,  yet  he  be- 
came a  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus, 

Under  what  circumstances  ?  Charged  with  letters  from  the 
chief  priests,  he  starts  for  Damascus,  on  an  errand  of  blood, 
breathing  out  threats  and  slaughter  against  the  disciples  of 
Jesus.  It  was  while  on  this  mad  journey  that  a  miraculous 
arrest  is  laid  upon  him.  As  he  advances  towards  Damascus, 
and  gets  a  distant  view  of  that  splendid  city,  we  may  fancy 
the  thoughts  which  occupied  his  mind.  Perhaps  he  is  pictur- 
ing to  himself  the  consternation  which  the  news  of  his  arrival 
will  spread  among  the  unsuspecting  Christians  ;  with  what 
suddenness  he  will  burst  into  their  assemblies ;  and  his  tri- 
umph, as  he  conveys  his  victims  in  chains  to  Jerusalem.  Not 
a  hint  is  given  by  the  historian,  of  any  misgiving  or  faltering, 
on  his  part.  How  utterly  improbable  the  conversion  of  such  a 
man,  at  such  a  moment !  Yet  that  is  the  instant  chosen  of 
God  for  a  marvellous  display  of  his  grace  and  power.  And 
80  God  ofttimes  permits  the  wicked  to  prosecute  their  plans 
till  they  are  on  the  eve  of  accomplishment,  and  then  raagni- 


135 

fies  his  own  power  hj  putting  a  sudden  stop  to  their  career,  in 
the  way  of  mercy  or  of  judgment.  The  wicked  is  caught  in 
his  own  snare,  and  like  Ilaman,  is  hanged  upon  the  gallows 
which  he  had  erected  for  another.  Or,  as  in  the  case  of  Saul, 
the  light  of  heaven  shines  upon  his  path,  and  gives  the  man 
new  views  of  himself.  The  light  which  so  suddenly  dazzled 
Saul's  eyes,  exceeded  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  though  it  was 
seen  at  midday. 

In  one  of  his  Epistles,  Paul  asks,  "  Have  I  not  seen  the 
Lord  Jesus  ?"  and  declares  that  he  had  seen  him,  "  as  one  born 
out  of  due  time  " — the  last  one  admitted  to  the  apostolic  col- 
lege. This  undoubtedly  was  the  occasion  when  Jesus  visibly 
appeared  to  him.  The  veil  that  separates  the  visible  from 
the  invisible  world,  is  for  a  moment  withdrawn,  and  the  bold 
and  bitter  persecutor  of  the  Church  is  stricken  to  the  ground 
by  a  sight  of  the  effulgent  glory  of  her  divine  Head  and  Lord. 
A  voice  addresses  the  blinded  and  terrified  Saul ;  it  is  the  voice 
of  Jesus,  whom  he  had  persecuted,  speaking  not  in  wrathful 
indignation,  but  affectionate  remonstrance.  There  is  no  rea- 
soning, no  vindication  of  Christianity,  but  the  simple  authori- 
tative question :  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  ?"  In 
the  first  verse  we  are  told  that  he  breathed  out  threatening  and 
slaughter  against  the  disciples;  here  Jesus  speaks  of  himself, 
"  Me,"  as  the  object  of  persecution.  Christ  and  his  people  are 
one;  hence  what  is  done  to  either,  is  done  to  both.  If  anv 
member  of  the  body  be  touched,  the  head  feels  it ;  and  so  is  it 
with  the  mystical  body  of  Christ. 

Saul  replies :  "  Who  art  thou.  Lord  ?"  It  was  a  question,  we 
apprehend,  of  terror  rather  than  of  curiosity.  The  answer  is, 
"  I  am  Jesus  " — not  I  am  the  Christ,  I  am  the  Son  of  God,  but 
"  I  am  Jesus,"  who  thus  identifies  himself  with  the  Church 
which  bore  his  name  in  her  witnessing  and  sufferings.  "We 
may  well  suppose  that  the  words  fell  like  a  thunder-clap  upon 
Saul's  startled  ear.    He  who  spake  from  the  cloud  of  glory, 


136 

and  in  the  voice  of  majesty,  was  Jesus,  -whom  the  Jews  had 
crucified  as  a  blasphemer  ;  Jesus,  whom  Saul  believed  to  be  a 
miserable  impostor ;  Jesus,  the  extirpation  of  whose  followers 
he  was  seeking  with  such  zealous  bigotry.  Now  he  saw  that 
the  acts  on  which  he  had  plumed  himself,  were  deeds  of  vio- 
lence not  merely  against  men,  but  the  Lord  of  heaven  himself. 
He  had  been  all  the  while  persecuting  Jesus,  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God.  Subdued,  as  well  as  astounded  by  the  wondrous, 
revelation,  Saul  exclaims:  "Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to 
do  ?"  Where  now  is  the  fury  of  the  persecutor  ?  Those  eyes 
that  so  lately  flashed  with  malignant  fire,  are  blinded  by  the 
blaze  of  Jesus's  glory,  and  moist  with  penitential  tears.  Those 
hands  which  had  "  haled"  men  and  women  to  prison,  are  now 
meekly  clasped  in  penitential  prayer.  The  once  proud  Saul 
now  owns  Jesus  as  his  Lord.  He  has  made  the  appalling  dis- 
covery that  he  has  been  contending  with  the  Almighty.  He 
is  subdued  to  the  obedience  of  faith :  "  What  wilt  thou  have 
me  to  do  ?" 

"  Arise,"  says  Jesus,  "  and  go  into  the  city,  and  it  shall  be 
told  thee  what  thou  must  do."  He  arose  from  the  earth,  is 
led  by  the  hand  into  Damascus,  where  he  remains  three  days, 
unable  to  see,  "  and  did  neither  eat  nor  drink."  His  physical 
blindness  was  doubtless  designed  to  teach  him  how  deep  had 
been  his  mental.  In  silence  and  exclusion  from  the  outer 
world,  he  is  left  to  those  soul-struggles  which  are  ever  pro- 
duced in  the  inner  man  when  the  law  of  God  comes  in  power. 

In  detailing  these  circumstances  of  Saul's  bodily  condition, 
at  this  time,  the  sacred  narrator  throws  a  veil  over  those  in- 
ward struggles  which  attended  his  transition  from  darkness  to 
light.  Doubtless  they  were  days  of  fearful  anguish.  "  Souls 
like  Paul's  have  terrible  birth-throes."  AVe  have  reason  to 
believe  that  he  has  pictured  his  own  experience  in  Romans  7th : 
"  I  was  alive  without  the  law  once  ;  but  when  the  command- 
ment came,  sin  revived,  and  I  died."     Now  that  he  sees  the 


137 

divine  law  in  its  extent  and  spirituality,  his  eyes  are  opened  to 
behold  the  awful  gulf  that  yawns  beneath  him.  He  finds  that 
he  is  a  ruined  man  ;  "slain"  by  the  law  which  he  once  fancied 
he  had  perfectly  obeyed  ;  sins  past  reckoning  rise  to  his  view ; 
and  his  pharisaic  self-righteousness  vanishes  like  a  dream  of  the 
night.  From  the  depths  of  shame,  remorse,  fear,  penitence, 
he  cries :  "God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  He  casts  himself 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  "  behold  he  prays."  The  spiritual 
birth  is  completed  ;  the  blasphemies  uttered,  and  the  injuries 
done  by  Saul,  "  ignorantly,"  indeed,  but  none  the  less  deserv- 
ing God's  wrath  and  curse,  are  blotted  out  in  that  precious 
blood  which  he  had  once  counted  an  unholy  thing. 

A  messenger  of  peace  and  comfort  appears  before  him  in 
the  person  of  Ananias,  whose  dread  of  the  notorious  persecutor 
is  disarmed  by  the  assurance :  "  Behold,  he  prayeth."  This 
was  enough  to  assure  him  that  the  bloody  bigot  was  now  a 
believer;  the  injurious  blasphemer  had  been  made  a  new 
creature  in  Christ  Jesus.  He  goes  in  the  spirit  of  fraternal 
affection,  he  salutes  him  by  the  name  of  "  Brother  Saul,"  he 
bids  him  welcome  to-  the  family  of  Christ.  And  as  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  that  miraculous  power  with  which  he  was  invested, 
Ananias  lays  his  hands  upon  the  head  of  Saul,  the  scales  drop 
from  his  eyes,  his  sight  is  restored,  "  and  standing  up,  he  was 
baptized."  Thus  was  he  publicly  admitted  to  the  fellowship  of 
the  Church,  and  formally  dedicated  to  the  service  of  Jesus 
Christ  his  Lord  and  Saviour.  Immediately,  we  are  told,  Saul 
joined  himself  to  the  disciples,  and  openly  appeared  as  the 
friend  and  champion  of  the  truth,  straightway  preaching  Christ 
in  the  synagogues,  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God. 

Tes !  in  those  very  synagogues  which  he  intended  to  enter 
armed  with  letters  from  the  high  priest,  requiring  the  delivery 
to  bonds  and  death  of  all  who  had  professed  the  name  of  Je- 
sus, did  Saul  now  preach  that  same  Jesus,  as  the  promised 
Christ,  and  the  only  Saviour,  and  with  such  cogent  eloquence 


138 

and  logic  that  his  hearers  could  not  resist  the  wisdom  with 
which  he  spake.  Tou  are  familiar  with  his  history  as  "  a 
preacher  and  apostle."  Tlie  story  of  his  conversion  casts  a 
light  upon  his  subsequent  career  ;  and  as  you  listen  to  his  clear 
enunciation  of  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith,  you  may 
here  learn  why  he  clung  to  it  so  tenaciously,  and  preached  it 
so  earnestly.  He  knew  how  vain  is  every  hope  which  is  not 
built  upon  the  cross.  He  had  tried  hard  to  work  out  liis  ow^n 
righteousness,  and  if  any  one  had  reason  to  trust  in  the  flesh, 
he  had.  So  it  was  with  another  great  herald  of  this  life-giving 
truth — j  ustification  by  faith — Luther.  He  too,  had  tried  works ; 
so  far  as  man  could  see,  he  was  "  blameless  ;''  and  yet,  like 
Paul,  he  confesses  himself  to  be  "  the  chief  of  sinners,"  and 
looks  for  the  mercy  of  the.  Lord  Jesus  unto  eternal  life. 

There  are  various  topics  connected  with  this  memorable 
event — the  conversion  of  Saul  of  Tai-sus — on  which  I  would 
gladly  dwell,  did  time  permit :  such  as  his  eminent  fitness  for 
the  work  to  which  he  was  called,  and  the  evidence  which  his 
convereion  affords  to  the  truth  of  Christianity.  But  passing 
these,  I  proceed  to  remark  : 

1.  That  this  history  illustrates  the  sovereignty  and  omnipo- 
tence of  the  grace  of  God.  Look  once  more  at  this  man.  If 
Pontius  Pilate,  or  if  Caiaphas  had  been  converted,  it  would  have 
been  marvellous  indeed ;  and  yet  to  human  view,  Paul  was 
quite  as  unlikely  a  subject  as  either  of  those  men.  Grace, 
however,  singles  him  out,  and  manifests  its  exceeding  riches 
and  power,  by  subduing  this  unrelenting  bigot,  and  bringing 
him  to  the  feet  of  Jesus.  Well  did  Saul  know  the  magnitude 
of  liis  debt  to  the  mercy  of  the  Saviour.  "  By  the  grace  of 
God  I  am  what  I  am  ;"  "  Not  I,  but  the  grace  of  God  in  me ;" 
such  is  his  uniform  language  when  speaking  of  the  great 
change. 

2.  We  see  under  what  unfavorable  circumstances  the  truth 
of  God  often  works  its  way,  and  accomplishes  its  end.     Saul 


139 

would  seem  to  have  been  beyond  the  reach  of  argument  or 
persuasion  ;  but  He  who  is  the  King  of  truth  can  triumph  over 
all  circumstances,  and  bend  them  to  his  purpose.  The  heart 
of  the  jailer  of  Philippi,  is  rent  by  the  earthquake  which 
shook  the  prison ;  while  Lydia's  opens  under  the  gentle  influ- 
ences of  the  word,  as  the  flower  softly  opens  to  the  light  or  the 
falling  shower ;  Saul  is  suddenly  arrested  by  a  vision,  and  a 
voice  from  heaven.  The  providential  circumstances  attending 
these  cases  of  conversion  were  different,  but  the  subjective 
process  is  essentially  alike  in  all,  and  the  moral  force  by  which 
the  result  is  accomplished  is  ever  the  same,  namely,  the  truth 
in  Jesus,  received  by  faith. 

3.  I  remark  that  while  conviction  precedes  conversion,  it  is 
not  always  followed  by  it  as  it  was  in  the  case  of  Saul.  Tlie 
voice  of  the  preacher  may  arrest  you,  and  like  Felix  you  may 
tremble,  or  like  Agrippa  you  may  be  almost  persuaded  to  be- 
come a  Christian.  The  truth  preached,  or  the  dispensations  of 
Providence  may  have  made  your  heart  soft,  but  unless  the  in- 
fluences of  the  Spirit  of  grace  continue  to  descend  upon  you, 
it  may  harden  again  into  a  more  obdurate  impenitence.  Con- 
viction, perchance,  has  fastened  this  night  upon  your  soul,  and 
will  follow  you  as  you  leave  this  place ;  but  how  will  you  act  ? 
Will  you  dismiss  the  call  to  life  and  light,  or  shall  it  be  said 
of  you,  "  Behold  he  prayeth  ?"  May  He  who  wrought  might- 
ily in  Saul,  work  thus  in  you,  so  that  humbled  and  penitent, 
you  will  fall  at  the  footstool  of  mercy  ;  renouncing  every 
self  righteous  hope,  and  crying:  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have 
me  to  do  ?" 

4.  "We  learn  this,  the  prominent  characteristics  of  true  con- 
version. Saul,  once  so  blind,  now  sees ;  he  who  was  once  a 
proud  Pharisee,  is  now  a  meek  believer  ;  he  who  was  once  self- 
righteous,  now  loathes  himself  on  account  of  sin  ;  he  who  was 
once  so  indifferent  to  the  claims  of  Christ,  now  asks :  "  Lord, 
what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?"    Professing  Christian,  how  is 


140 

it  with  you  ?  Do  not  think  that  all  is  well  because  you  have 
been  awakened.  A  consistent,  godly  life  is  the  only  sure  and 
satisfying  evidence  that  your  profession  is  of  the  right  sort. 
Good  fruit  is  the  only  proof  that  the  tree  is  good. 

From  the  day  that  Saul  of  Tarsus  embraced  Christ,  it  was 
evident  that  a  new  principle  ruled  his  life,  that  a  new  aifection 
had  possession  of  his  heart.  In  many  respects  his  was  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  of  lives,  full  of  self-sacrificing  toils,  of 
ennobling  virtues,  of  grand  achievements.  He  himself  ex- 
plains how  it  was  such  :  "  The  life  I  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by 
the  ftiith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and  gave  himself 
for  me."  At  the  foot  of  the  cross,  where  he  found  salvation,  he 
found  also  the  grandest  aims  and  the  mightiest  motives.  There 
he  joyfully  consecrated  himself  in  soul,  body,  and  spirit,  to  his 
Saviour  Christ,  and  henceforth,  byword  and  deed,  proclaimed, 
"  Living  and  dying,  I  am  the  Lord's." 


141 


SERMON  IX. 

CHRIST  IN   THE   MIDST  OP  THE  GOLDEN  CANDLESTICKS. 

"And  being  turned,  I  saw  seven  golden  candlesticks ;  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
seven  candlesticks  one  like  unto  the  Son  of  man,  clothed  with  a  garment  down  to 
the  foot,  and  girt  about  the  paps  with  a  golden  girdle." — Eev.  1  :  13. 

These  words  are  from  the  Book  of  Eevelation,  a  most  re- 
markable book,  as  its  title  imports,  that  is,  its  true  title.  It  is 
not  rightly  denominated,  as  in  most  of  our  Bibles,  the  revela- 
tion of  St.  John.  It  is  a  revelation  given  to  John,  to  show  to 
the  servants  of  God  things  which  must  shortly  come  to  pass.  It 
is  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  not  simply  a  revelation  com- 
ing from  Jesus  Christ,  but  a  revelation  concerning  Christ.  It 
does  not  mean  so  much  Christ  the  revealer,  as  Christ  the  ?'e- 
vealed.  The  object  of  all  Scripture  is  to  reveal  Christ ;  so  that 
he  may  well  be  said  to  be  its  Alpha  and  Omega,  its  all  and 
in  all. 

This  book,  however,  is  emphatically  a  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ ;  and  of  Jesus  Christ  not  as  he  was,  but  as  he  is,  and  is 
to  come.  The  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  in  promise,  type, 
shadow,  and  prophecy,  revealed  Christ  as  the  promised  Mes- 
siah and  deliverer  of  his  Church.  Prophets  and  martyrs  looked 
forward  with  hope  ;  and  as  the  Jew  studied  their  glorious  pre- 
dictions, his  mind  became  so  absorbed  with  the  brilliant  pic- 
ture that  it  lost  sight  of  the  humiliation  of  the  manger,  Geth- 
semane,  and  Calvary ;  and  when  Christ  came,  meek  and  lowly, 
his  own  received  him  not.  After  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures, 
came  the  revelation  of  Christ  in  the  Gospel ;  but  this  differed 
from  that  of  this  book.  The  Gospel  set  Christ  before  us  in  the 
attitude  of  a  sufferer  ;  this  new  revelation  of  Jesus  is  that  of 


142 

one  liiglily  exalted.  The  gospels  record  his  lowly  birth,  his 
life  of  toil  and  suffering,  his  agony,  his  bloody  sweat,  his  cross, 
his  passion,  with  but  one  glimpse  of  his  glory — that  vouch- 
safed to  the  three  disciples  on  Tabor,  the  Mount  of  Transfigur- 
ation ;  this  revelation  describes  his  throne,  his  many  crowns, 
his  ransomed  Church,  brought  forward  to  the  perfect  redemp- 
tion and  bliss  of  heaven.  It  was  made  to  John  in  Patmos, 
whither  he  had  been  banished  by  the  Emperor  Domitian.  lie 
tells  us  that  it  was  on  the  Lord's  day,  that  is,  the  Christian 
Sabbath,  the  first  day  of  the  week,  the  day  that  commemorated 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead.  He  was  "  in  the 
spirit ;"  not  only  in  a  rapture  when  he  received  the  vision,  but 
previous  to  the  revelation  he  was  in  a  serious,  heavenly,  spirit- 
ual frame,  under  the  blessed  influences  of  the  Spirit.  God 
usually  prepares  the  souls  of  his  people  for  uncommon  mani- 
festations of  himself  by  his  good  Spirit ;  and  they  who  would 
enjoy  communion  with  God  on  the  Lord's  day,  must  endeavor 
to  abstract  their  hearts  from  the  world  and  set  their  affections 
upon  God,  and  things  heavenly. 

There  are  passages  in  this  book  of  richer  imagery,  connect- 
ing our  hopes  of  heaven  with  all  that  is  bright  and  beautiful, 
and  sweetly  urging  us  on  in  the  way  of  life  ;  but  there  is  none 
better  adapted  to  our  present  comfort,  or  more  fitted  to  sustain 
and  encourage  us  as  members  of  the  Church  of  God,  than  the 
revelation  of  Christ  given  in  the  words  of  our  text.  John 
heard  a  voice  ;  he  turned  to  see  whose  it  was,  and  whence  it 
came,  and  then  a  scene  of  wonderful  vision  opened  itself.  He 
saw  a  representation  of  the  Church,  under  seven  golden  can- 
dlesticks, as  it  is  explained  in  the  concluding  verses  of  this 
chapter.  The  churches  are  described  as  candlesticks,  first, 
because  they  are  the  means  of  conveying,  and  holding  forth 
light  to  a  dark  and  benighted  world.  They  are  symbolized, 
not  by  candles,  you  will  observe,  but  candlesticks.  Christ  only 
is  our  light ;  but  they  receive  their  light  from  Christ,  and  hold 


143 

it  forth  to  others.  They  are  golden  candlesticks,  to  represent 
their  preciousness  in  the  sight  of  Jesus,  and  also  that  they 
should  be  pure,  comparable  to  line  gold.  He  saw  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks,  for  he  has 
promised  to  be  with  his  churches  always,  even  to  the  end,  fill- 
ing them  with  life,  and  light,  and  love,  for  he  is  the  very  soul 
of  the  Church.  And  then  again  you  observe  the  glorious  ap- 
pearance of  Jesus  Christ ;  he  is  described  as  clothed  with  a 
garment  down  to  the  foot,  and  girt  about  the  paps  with  a  gold- 
en girdle. 

ISTow  there  are  in  these  few  things,  delightful  subjects  of 
meditation  ;  meditation  that  shall  fill  the  heart  of  the  believer 
with  triumphant  joy,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Christ  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  Church,  her  light  and  her  defense,  her  High 
Priest. 

Let  us  look  fi7'st  at  the  situation  or  position  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ ;  secondly,  at  his  habit ;  and  deduce  from  these  those 
consolations  which  they  justly  aflbrd. 

L  His  position.  He  is  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  candle- 
sticks. There  was  in  the  temple,  at  Jerusalem,  a  golden  can- 
dlestick that  held  seven  lamps,  which  it  was  the  business  of 
the  high  priest  to  trim  and  light.  This  candlestick,  by  reason 
of  the  number  of  its  lamps,  was  considered  as  seven,  and  re- 
presented the  seven  churches  of  Asia.  The  Son  of  Man  stand- 
ing in  the  midst,  denoted  that  he  inspected  the  condition  of  the 
churches,  observing  how  they  made  their  light  to  shine,  reple- 
nishing them  occasionally  with  needed  supplies  of  his  grace 
and  spirit,  and,  by  seasonable  trials,  trimming  them  whenever 
their  declining  light  called  for  his  interposition.  Wherever 
Jesus  Christ  has  a  church,  there  he  is  in  the  midst  of  her. 
"  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there 
am  I  in  the  midst  of  them."  He  has  said  that  he  takes  "  pleas- 
ure in  the  gates  of  Zion  more  than  in  all  the  dwellings  of 
Jacob."  "  Tliis  is  my  rest ;  here  will  I  dwell,  for  I  have  de- 
sired it."  What  a  glorious  source  of  expectation  is  this !    When 


144 

the  Psalmist  would  describe  the  peace  of  Israel  among  the 
agitated  nations,  he  says :  "God  is  in  the  midst  of  her;  she 
shall  not  be  moved  ;  God  shall  help  her,"  When  the  prophet 
Isaiah  describes  the  Church  restored  from  captivity,  he  repre- 
sents her  as  saying:  "  Cry  out,  and  shout,  thou  inhabitant  of 
Zion  ;  for  great  is  the  Holy  Gne  of  Israel  in  the  midst  of  thee." 
And  when  the  prophet  Zechariah  pictures  Zion's  redemption, 
it  is  in  these  words  :  "  I,  saith  the  Lord,  will  be  her  glory  in 
the  midst  of  her."  "  Sing  and  rejoice,  O  daughter  of  Zion  ; 
for  lo !  I  come,  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  thee,  saith  the 
Lord."  It  is  Christ's  presence  in  the  midst  of  the  Church  that 
has  made  her  fitly  represented  by  the  bush  which  burned,  and 
yet  was  not  consumed.  'No  matter  into  what  furnace  of  trial 
she  is  cast,  there  is  to  be  seen  with  her  in  that  furnace  the  form 
of  the  Son  of  Man  preserving,  and  sustaining  her.  The  God  in 
whom  she  trusts,  her  rock  and  her  defense,  will  give  her  de- 
liverance. With  what  a  glory  does  this  fact  invest  the  Church, 
the  assemblies  of  God's  saints  !  Should  it  not  lead  us  as  we 
enter  the  sanctuary,  to  say  :  "  How  dreadful  is  this  place !  this 
is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and  the  gate  of  heaven"  ? 
How,  too,  should  it  raise  our  expectations,  to  remember  that 
Jesus  is  in  the  midst !  Too  often  we  look  to  an  arm  of  flesh, 
the  human  instrumentality  ;  our  privilege  is  to  look  to  the  Lord 
of  all.  Christ  is  here  ;  and  what  truth  is  there  that  is  needful 
for  your  spiritual  benefit,  either  in  the  way  of  conviction,  in- 
struction, or  consolation,  but  that  he  can  bear  it  home  to  your 
hearts  and  consciences?  What,  then,  have  you  not  reason  to 
hope  for  and  expect  when  you  are  in  the  presence  of  one  so 
good  and  great?  Can  you  fathom  the  mercy  and  goodness  of 
God,  or  the  love  that  exists  in  the  heart  of  Jesus  ?  He  gives 
us  his  word  and  ordinances,  and  he  hath  promised  abundantly 
to  bless  the  provisions  of  his  house,  and  to  satisfy  his  people 
with  bread.  "  Open  thy  mouth  wide,  and  I  will  fill  it ;"  that 
is,  when  you  come  to  me,  my  house,  my  ordinances,  remember 


145 

you  are  coining  to  him  who  is  the  inexhaustible  fountain,  wlio 
giveth  liberally,  who  says  to  you,  respecting  spiritual  desires, 
"  Be  ye  enlarged,"  and  delights  in  them  who  hunger  and  thirst 
after  the  blessings  of  his  grace.  Christ  in  the  midst  is  the  full- 
ness of  all  blessing.  Who,  as  he  has  looked  forward  to  the 
feast,  has  not  asked  :  "  Will  the  Master  be  there  ?"  Without 
Christ,  all  is  barren  and  profitless  ;  the  bread  is  mere  bread, 
and  the  wine  is  mere  wine.  The  Sabbath  is  a  weariness,  or, 
what  is  no  better,  a  day  without  spiritual  profit  or  spiritual  per- 
ception. But  if  Jesus  is  pleased  to  reveal  himself,  we  are  led 
to  exclaim  : 

"  These  are  the  sweet  and  precious  days, 
On  which  my  Lord  I've  seen, 
And  oft  when  fasting  on  his  word, 
In  raptures  I  have  beeiL" 

Christ  in  the  midst  constitutes  the  heaven  of  the  Church,  gives 
to  every  believer  the  earnest  and  assurance  of  the  better  land. 
II.  Let  us  notice  the  representation  we  have  of  the  habit 
or  dress  of  this  glorious  person.  He  is  represented  as  being ' 
clothed  with  a  long  flowing  garment,  and  girt  about  with  a 
wolden  o-irdle..  These  were  garments  such  as  were  appointed 
for  the  high  priest,  and  were  designed  to  show  his  justifying 
righteousness,  and  his  prevailing  and  effectual  intercession. 
All  commentators  agree  in  representing  this  garment  as  denot- 
ing righteousness  and  honor.  And  what  said  the  prophet  Jere- 
miah, respecting  Christ  ?  "  This  is  the  name  whereby  he  shall 
be  called,  the  Lord  our  righteousness."  This  term,  "righteous- 
ness," is  sometimes  used  in  Scripture  to  denote  the  whole  of 
Christ's  vicarious  work — the  active  and  passive  obedience  of 
Christ,  whereby  he  perfectly  fulfilled  the  law,  and  propitiated 
the  justice  of  God.  Now  in  the  view  which  John  had  of  him, 
he  is  represented  as  Jehovah,  the  righteousness  of  his  people. 
Rio-hteousness,  or  obedience  to  the  mind  and  will  of  heaven, 
was  essential  to  him,  to  his  very  nature.  He  was  holy  ;  spot- 
10 


146 

less  when  he  stood  in  the  sinner's  place.  "A  Lamb  without 
spot  or  blemish."  When  Satan  came  to  him,  he  had  nothing 
on  which  to  work  ;  temptation  fell  as  fire  upon  the  unsullied 
snow ;  but  when  he  took  the  sinner's  place,  he  assumed  a  cha- 
racter and  a  work,  in  the  prosecution  of  which  he  was  laid 
under  obligations  to  obey  the  law  of  God  as  the  surety  and 
substitute  of  his  people.  And  so  with  respect  to  the  penalty 
of  the  law  :  it  fell  not  on  him  for  his  own  transgressions,  for 
"  he  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth  ;"  but  it 
fell  on  him  because  he  bare  the  sins  of  others.  He  was  our 
substitute,  and  therefore  "  he  was  wounded  for  our  trans£rres- 
sions."  "  It  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him."  "  The  Lord  laid 
on  him  the  iniquities  of  us  all."  In  working  out  a  complete 
and  justifying  righteousness  foi  his  people,  it  was  necessary 
that  he  should  obey  the  law,  and  suffer  its  penalty.  Having 
done  both,  we  may  well  ask  with  Paul :  "  Who  shall  lay  any 
thing  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ?"  Christ  hath  obeyed,  and 
Christ  hath  suffered.  It  is  of  great  importance  that  we  have 
correct  and  scriptural  views  of  these  great  fundamental  truths. 
We  are  told  that  "  by  one  offering,  he  hath  forever  perfected 
them  that  are  sanctified  ;"  that  he  "  put  away  sin  by  the  sacri- 
fice of  himself;"  that  "  though  he  was  a  Son,  yet  learned  he 
obedience  by  the  things  which  he  suffered ;"  and  being  made 
perfect,  became  the  author  of  eternal  salvation  unto  all  who 
obey  him  ;  and  so  by  his  perfect  obedience,  he  became  the 
end  of  the  law,  and  brought  in  an  everlasting  righteousness. 
Thus  is  Christ  set  before  us  in  the  Scriptures,  as  "  made  unto 
Tis  of  God,  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctifi cation  and  redemp- 
tion." Our  Lord  once  spoke  a  parable  which  we  may  here 
introduce  as  casting  light  upon  this  subject.  It  is  that  of  a 
certain  king,  who  made  a  marriage  for  his  son,  and  invited 
many.  '-And  when  the  king  came  in  to  see  the  guests,  he  saw 
there  a  man  which  had  not  on  a  wedding  garment.  The  king 
saw  this  man,  and  he  said  unto  him :  '  Friend,  how  camest 


147 

thou  in  hither,  not  having  on  the  wedding  garment  ?' "  He 
could  not  have  entered  by  the  door,  for  Christ  is  the  door ;  he 
must  have  made  his  entrance  some  other  way.  If  he  had  come 
by  Christ,  Christ  would  have  put  on  him  the  wedding  garment 
— the  robe  of  his  own  righteousness. 

When  the  poor  prodigal  returned  to  his  father's  house,  it 
was  in  rags  and  wretchedness,  and  yet  even  such  an  one  as  he 
was,  when  his  father  saw  him,  he  ran  to  meet  him,  and  fell  on 
his  neck  and  kissed  him ;  and  he  pressed  the  poor  wanderer  to 
his  heart  again,  and  the  best  of  his  house  was  not  accounted 
too  good  for  him.     The  ring,  the  token  and  mark  of  recon- 
ciliation, was  put  upon  his  finger,  and  the  robe  was  not  forgot- 
ten, the  best  robe,  in  which  he  might  be  presented  to  the  as- 
sembled and  rejoicing  company,  not  as  a  servant,  but  as  a  son, 
a  dear  and  honored  son.     Even  so  God  reconciles  his  people, 
and  clothes  them  with  the  righteousness  of  Jesus,     l^ow  when 
a  man  has  been  brought  under  the  sanctifying  influences  ot 
God's  Spirit,  when  by  the  illumination  of  that  Spirit,  he  has 
seen  on  one  hand  the  uncompromising  purity  of  God's  law,  the 
infinite  and  unchangeable  holiness  which  he  hath  revealed,  and 
on  the  other  beholds  in  himself  nothing  but  impurity ;  the 
best  action  that  he  ever  performed,  defective;  the  holiest  that 
he  ever  conceived,  stained  by  sin  ;  the  best  prayer  that  he  ever 
offered  at  mercy's  footstool,  a  poor  and  earthly  supplication, 
needing  itself  to  be  atoned  for  and  pardoned ;  he  comes  to  look 
about  him  for  something  better  than  he  can  find  in  himself,  and 
God  reveals  to  him  the  perfect  righteousness  of  Christ,  shows 
him  how  his  obedience  was  perfect,  and  his  love  unfaltering, 
leading  him  through  Gethsemane  to  Calvary.     He  shows  him 
how,  through  the  principle  of  an  inwrought  faith,  all  this  is  to 
be  made  over  to  liis  account,  and  then  God  helping  the  poor 
soul  to  overcome  his  unbelief  and  his  natural  distrust  of  such 
good  news,  the  man  comes  at  last  in  the  strong  and  expressive 
language  of  the  Bible,  to  "  put  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


148 

Bat  God  chooses  man  to  salvation  through  sanctification  of 
the  Spirit  as  well  as  belief  of  the  truth ;  and,  therefore,  over 
and  above  the  application  of  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  for  the 
sinner  as  an  offering  to  God  and  a  satisfaction  on  his  behalf, 
there  is  a  work  carried  on  by  the  Spirit  in  the  soul  of  the  reno- 
vated creature.  He  is  delivered  from  the  hondage  of  sin  as 
God  has  set  him  free  from  the  condemnation  of  sin.  He  who 
poured  out  his  own  most  precious  blood  on  the  cross  that  sin- 
ners condemned  might  stand  acquitted,  sends  down  his  Spirit  to 
uproot  the  evil,  implant  holy  desires,  and  carry  on  a  work  of 
progress  until  at  last  the  region  of  that  man's  heart  becomes 
like  the  spot  of  earth  of  which  the  prophet  tells  us  :  "  Instead 
of  the  thorn  shall  come  up  the  fir-tree,  and  instead  of  the  briar 
shall  come  up  the  myrtle-tree ;  and  it  is  to  the  Lord  for  a 
name,  for  an  everlasting  sign  that  shall  not  be  cut  off." 

My  dear  hearer,  is  this  your  experience  ?  If  so,  there  is  to 
you  no  more  delightful  view  of  Jesus  in  the  midst  of  tlie  gold- 
en candlesticks  than  that  which  exhibits  his  justifying  right- 
eousness. You  look  to  him  to-day,  and  at  all  times,  exclaim- 
ing, "  In  the  Lord  have  I  righteousness  and  strength  ;"  and 
your  richest,  truest,  highest  happiness,  is  when  you  feel  that 
you,  as  a  part  of  the  Church,  stand  accepted  in  the  Beloved. 

But  1  must  lead  you  on  to  contemplate  him  in  yet  another 
portion  of  his  habit,  "  girt  about  with  a  golden  girdle."  This 
evidently  refers  to  that  part  of  the  high  priest's  dress  by  which 
the  golden  breastplate  was  confined  to  his  breast.  You  remem- 
ber that  every  part  of  the  vesture  of  the  high  priest  was  both 
rich  and  costly  ;  none  more  so  than  the  breastplate.  The  front 
of  it  was  set  with  twelve  precious  stones,  on  each  of  which  was 
engraven  the  name  of  one  of  the  tribes.  You  will  find  a  de- 
scription of  it  in  the  twenty-eighth  chapter  of  Exodus.  In  the 
twenty-nintli  verse  you  will  see  that  it  was  particularly  en- 
joined that  Aaron,  as  the  High  Priest,  should  bind  this  breast- 
plate upon  liis  heart  when  he  went  into  the  holy  place.  This 
is  designed,  in  its  connection,  to  point  out  not  only  the  know- 
ledge that  Jesus  has  of  all  that  are  his,  but  that  he  knows  them 


149 

by  name,  and  that  he  keeps  them  near  to  him  by  his  golden 
girdle.  Though  in  glory,  Christ  still  executes  the  office  of  a 
Priest,  presenting  his  blood  before  the  mercy-seat,  and  still  liv- 
ing to  make  intercession  for  his  people.  He  would  have  it 
known  to  his  Church  that,  according  to  the  prophecy  of  Zecha- 
riah,  he  is  a  Priest  upon  his  throne  :  "  He  shall  sit  and  rule  upon 
his  throne,  and  he  shall  be  a  priest  upon  his  throne,  and  the 
counsel  of  peace  shall  be  between  them  both."  Xow  it  is  your 
interest  to  realize  this  for  yourselves,  and  to  know  that  so  surely 
as  Christ  is  precious  to  you,  so  surely  your  name  is  on  "his 
breastplate,  and  you  are  not  forgotten  now  that  he  hath  entered 
into  the  holy  of  holies  for  you.  Christ  forgets  not  his  own  ;  he 
knoweth  the  things  they  have  need  of,  and  liveth  to  make  in- 
tercession for  us.  How  should  this  support,  stay,  and  comfort 
us  in  coming  to  a  throne  of  grace !  He  who  knows  us,  carries 
us  near  his  heart,  ever  lives  to  make  intercession.  We  often  in 
our  blindness  ask  for  that  which  would  be  prejudicial  to  our 
best  interests  ;  but  He  whom  the  Pather  heareth  always,  who 
hath  loved  us  with  an  everlasting  love,  and  asks  only  what  is 
wise  and  good,  pleads  for  us.  Remember,  too,  that  his  love  is 
unchangeable  ;•  it  is  owing  to  this  that  you  have  been  preserved 
to  the  present  moment.  He  knew  before  he  set  his  heart  upon 
3^ou,  that  he  would  give  himself  for  you  ;  he  had  pledged  and 
covenanted  your  salvation  ;  and  even  for  his  own  sake,  he  will 
not  forsake  you.  He  who  walks  in  the  midst  of  the  golden 
candlesticks,  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever.  He 
who  has  brought  you  hitherto,  will  lead  you  to  the  end  ;  will 
guide  and  uphold  you  till  he  has  perfected  the  work  of  faith, 
and  brought  you  safely  through  all  your  trials  to  sit  dov?n  to 
the  marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  we  observe,  first,  that  if  Christ 
walks  in  the  midst  of  the  Church,  then  is  the  Church  secure. 
What  says  he  respecting  the  Church?  "I  the  Lord  do  keep 
it ;  I  will  water  it  every  moment,  lest  any  hurt  it ;  I  will  keep 
it  night  and  day."     Again,  of  this  Church,  the  lips  of  Christ 


150 

have  said  :  "  Upon  this  rock  will  I  build  my  Church ;  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  Every  living  stone  in  that 
building  is  the  purchase  of  his  blood,  as  well  as  the  work  of 
his  hand,  given  unto  him  by  his  Father  for  this  express  pur- 
pose, that  from  such  materials  he  might  construct  for  himself  a 
glorious  Church. 

"  Glorious  things  of  thee  are  spoken, 

Zion,  city  of  our  God  ; 
He  whose  word  can  ne'er  be  broken, 

Chose  thee  for  his  own  abode. 
On  the  Rock  of  Ages  founded, 

Who  can  shake  thy  sure  repose  ? 
With  salvation's  wall  surrounded, 

Thou  canst  smile  at  all  thy  foes." 

"  Tlie  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it ;"  that  is,  the 
power  and  the  craft  of  Satan  can  not  destroy  that  Church  which 
is  founded  on  Christ.  We  have  seen  the  Church  in  her  pri- 
mary state  of  holiness  and  innocence  in  Adam ;  she  stood  in 
her  own  strength,  and  fell.  An  attack  was  made  upon  her, 
and  her  glory  was  lost.  But  did  she  fall  to  rise  no  more  ?  Did 
God  cast  off  his  Church  which  he  foreknew?  No  ;  she  rises 
in  her  second  head ;  she  stands  in  his  strength,  and  not  her 
own.  Now  let  the  powers  of  darkness,  Roman  Antichrist, 
Moliammedan  Antichrist,  the  great  apostasies,  infidelity,  form- 
alism ;  let  these  combine  ;  let  the  kings  of  the  earth  take  coun- 
sel together ;  let  them  do  the  utmost  which  policy  can  approve, 
or  power  execute  ;  let  them  persecute  and  legislate  ;  let  them 
curse  and  anathematize,  as  in  times  past ;  it  will  all  be  in  vain. 
Their  efforts,  like  the  wind  that  rocks  the  kingly  oak  of  the 
forest,  shall  but  cause  it  to  strike  its  roots  deeper  and  broader. 

"  What  though  the  gates  of  hell  withstand, 
Yet  must  this  building  rise." 

Tlie  gates  of  hell  never  have  prevailed  against  it.  They 
may  have  seemed  to  do  so  for  a  season ;  but  'twas  only  an  ap- 


151 

pearance.  You  do  not  suppose  the  sun  is  plucked  from  the 
firmament,  or  stars  from  their  orbits  when  clouds  have  hid 
them  from  your  vision.  No.  So  clouds  have  sometimes  ga- 
thered around  the  Church,  and  her  enemies  appeared  to  tri- 
umph; but  at  each  season  she  has  emerged  with  increased 
brightness.  Did  her  enemies  prevail  against  her  on  Calvary  ? 
They  thought  to  do  so,  when  tliey  crucified  her  Head  between 
two  thieves.  "When  they  rolled  the  stone  against  the  door  of 
the  sepulchre,  they  thought  they  had  entombed  forever  not  only 
Jesus,  but  the  Church.  But  see  what  a  show  he  made  of  them, 
openly  triumphing  over  them.  He  ascended  up  on  high,  lead- 
ing captivity  captive.  He  entered  heaven  a  victor,  and  the 
powers  of  darkness  were  crushed  beneath  his  feet.  Did  they 
prevail  against  it  at  the  Reformation  ?  No.  Are  they  pre- 
vailing against  it  now  ?  Go  ask  at  the  doors  of  the  Bible 
House ;  and  as  you  see  emerging  from  them  the  leaves  which 
are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations,  recall  that  promise :  "My 
word  shall  not  return  unto  me  void."  Go  to  your  Sabbath- 
schools,  Bible-classes,  your  Tract  Societies,  your  Missionary 
Societies,  domestic  and  foreign ;  that  noble  army  who  are  ga- 
thering materials  from  every  tribe  and  tongue  under  heaven, 
and  gather  up  proof  that  shall  make  you  bold  and  hopeful 
of  heart.  And  as  the  gates  of  hell  never  have,  so  they  never 
shall  prevail.  The  truth  of  prophecy,  the  faithfulness  of  God, 
the  certainty  of  his  purposes,  the  atonement  of  Christ,  his  glo- 
rious intercession,  all  forbid.  But  were  there  no  prophecy, 
were  there  no  sure  word  of  promise,  let  me  only  fix  my  eyes 
upon  the  Son  of  Man  walking  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  can- 
dlesticks, and  I  ask  no  other  pledge,  no  other  evidence  of  the 
Church's  security. 

"  The  beams  that  shine  on  Zion's  hill 
Shall  lighten  every  land ; 
The  King  who  reigns  in  Zion's  lowers 
Shall  all  the  world  command." 


152 

"We  observe,  secondly,  that  if  in  heaven  Christ  still  fills  the 
office  of  a  Priest,  if  he  appears  for  us  in  the  heavenly  sanctu- 
ary, bearing  the  names  of  his  Israel  upon  his  heart  as  did  the 
high  priest  of  old  when  he  appeared  before  God  in  the  most 
holy  place,  then  let  us  rejoice  greatly  in  our  redeeming  God 
and  Saviour.  "  "We  have  not  an  High  Priest  which  can  not  be 
touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  but  was  in  all  points 
tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin."  "  Let  us  therefore 
come  boldly  unto  the  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain 
mercy  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need."  You  enter  the 
church,  the  closet,  you  approach  even  to  the  Lord's  table,  con- 
scious of  a  thousand  infirmities,  but  if,  conscious  of  these,  your 
eye  is  fixed  upon  the  righteousness  of  Jesus,  as  the  ground  of 
your  acceptance,  if  you  look  to  him  alone,  persuaded  that  if 
your  prayer  prevail,  it  must  prevail  only  because  presented  by 
the  High  Priest  of  our  profession,  then  may  you  come,  boldly, 
confidingly  to  a  throne  of  grace.  Look  to  Jesus,  touched  with 
a  feeling  of  your  infirmities,  and  draw  near  with  full  assurance 
of  faith.  If  you  knew  nothing  of  this  Advocate  with  the  Fa- 
ther, or  if  you  knew  him  only  as  one  immeasurably  removed 
from  all  experience  of  your  difficulties,  you  might  be  excus- 
able for  not  coming  to  a  throne  of  grace  ;  but  when  God  re- 
veals him  to  your  faith  as  walking  in  the  midst  of  the  golden 
candlesticks  clothed  with  his  priestly  garment,  a  Priest  upon 
his  throne,  how  shall  you  hesitate  to  bring  to  him  your  every 
want  and  burden,  that  he  may  heal  every  disease,  soothe  every 
sorrow,  guide  in  every  difficulty,  guard  in  every  danger.  And 
if  you  Avould  rejoice  in  the  thought  that  your  name  is  engraven 
upon  that  breastplate  which  is  bound  to  his  heart  by  the  golden 
girdle,  then  let  there  be  a  personal  appropriation  of  Christ  and 
him  crucified  ;  a  drawing  near  to  God  through  f\iitli  in  his 
atoning  blood,  and  prevailing  intercession.  Christ  knoweth 
them  that  are  his.  Go  to  him ;  give  yourself  up  to  him  ;  con- 
fess his  name  before  men,  and  he  will  confess  your  name  before 
his  Father,  and  before  his  angels. 


153 


SERMON    X. 

CHRIST    PRECIOUS    TO    BELIEVERS. 

"  Unto  you,  therefore,  which  believe,  he  is  precious." — 1  Pet.  2  :  7. 

Eyen  in  reading  these  words  apart  from  the  context,  you  do 
not  need  to  ask,  Of  whom  speaketh  the  Apostle,  when  he  says : 
"  Unto  you  who  believe,  He  is  precious !"  Like  Paul,  every 
Christian  knows  in  lohom  he  has  believed,  and  he  also  knows 
how  precious  He  is  into  whose  hands  he  has  committed  the  in- 
terests of  his  soul.  So  emphatically  is  Christ  the  "  all  in  all " 
of  the  believer,  that  his  mind  turns  spontaneously  to  him  as 
the  Alpha  and  Omega  of  all  excellence ;  and  whatever  there 
is  enigmatical  in  type,  or  prophecy,  or  the  sayings  of  God's 
Word,  Christ  is  the  key  by  which  all  is  opened.  "Well  may  it 
be  so.  It  is  fit  and  proper  that  he  who  is  chief  of  the  works 
of  God,  should  be  the  chief  subject  of  his  word  ;  that  he  who 
fills  heaven,  should  fill  the  book  that  gives  us  heaven. 

Redemption  is  God's  great  work.  Redemption  by  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  grand  theme  of  God's  revelation  ;  it  was  the  last 
thing  which  man  heard  in  Paradise  lost ;  it  will  be  the  first 
thing  that  he  shall  hear  in  Paradise  regained.  The  name  and 
work  of  Jesus,  like  precious  perfume,  is  difl'used  throughout 
the  whole  of  this  blessed  book.  He  is  the  glory  alike  of  both 
Testaments.  Take  him  from  the  Old,  and  you  have  only  a 
mass  of  meaningless  types,  ceremonies,  and  predictions ;  take 
him  from  the  New,  and  there  remains  not  even  a  shadow.  In 
this  sacred  volume  we  have  the  testimony  of  men,  of  angels, 
and  of  God  himself,  to  the  preciousness  of  Christ.  Patriarchs 
and  prophets  hailed  his  advent  from  afar  ;  "Abraham  rejoiced 
to  see  his  day ;"  Job  delights  in  the  confidence  that  death 
would  introduce  him  into  his  presence  ;  Moses  esteemed  re- 


154 

proacli  for  his  sake  more  than  the  riches  of  Egypt ;  David  re- 
garded nothing  in  heaven  or  earth  in  comparison  with  him  ; 
Isaiah  exulted  in  the  prospect  of  his  incarnation ;  all  the 
prophets  contemplated  him  as  the  Messiah  and  Saviour  of  the 
world  ;  and  when  the  fullness  of  time  was  come,  angels  an- 
nounced his  birth,  and  a  voice  from  the  excellent  glory  again 
and  again  proclaimed  him  the  One  in  whom  his  Father  was 
w^ell  pleased. 

lie  is  described  bj  the  Apostle  as  "  chosen  of  God,  and  pre- 
cious." God  says  he  is  precious  ;  and  believers  say  he  is  pre- 
cious. Let  us  come  and  see  Jesus ;  and  if  the  Spirit  shall  deign 
to  take  of  the  things  of  Christ,  and  show  them  unto  us  through 
the  medium  of  his  word  and  ordinances,  we  too  shall  say,  "  He 
is  precious." 

Let  me  endeavor  to  show :  First.  In  what  this  preciousness 
of  Christ  consists.  Secondly.  The  character  necessary  to  ap- 
preciate and  apply  it. 

I.  Whei^ein  does  this  preciousness  consist? 

^eed  I  tell  you  that  Christ  is  precious  in  himself?  A  jewel 
is  a  jewel,  whetlier  a  blind  man  sees  it  or  not.  The  pearl  of 
great  price  is  not  of  less  value  because  it  is  hid  in  a  field. 
Who  is  Jesus  ?  The  only-begotten  Son  of  God  ;  high  above 
all  principalities,  and  powers,  and  thrones,  and  dominions ; 
whose  life  was  a  treasure  so  priceless  that  it  may  well  be  said 
to  have  exhausted  heaven's  redeeming  fund  :  there  remaineth 
no  more  sacrifice  for  sin.  The  value  of  Christ's  sacrifice  con- 
sisted not  merely  in  the  appointment  of  heaven,  although  this 
enters  into  the  economy  of  redemption  ;  but  it  is  evidently  set 
forth  in  Scripture  as  possessing  an  inherent  value  infinite  in 
itself,  because  it  is  the  blood  of  Jesus.  The  blood  of  bulls  and 
of  goats  could  not  possibly  take  away  sin  ;  they  were  not  of 
sufficient  value. 

In  contemplating  the  atonement  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
we  must  not  separate  between  the  fact  of  bis  appointment  to 


155 

the  office  of  a  Redeemer  and  the  inherent  vahie  of  the  sacri- 
fice which  he  made.  It  was  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God 
which  was  shed  ;  it  was  the  Lord  of  glory  who  was  crucified. 
When  the  sword  of  justice  awoke,  it  was  against  the  man  that 
was  JeliovaKs  fellow.  He  only  could  take  away  the  sins  of 
the  world  who  had  omnipotence  to  bear  them,  Christ,  then,  is 
precious  in  his  person.  He  is  Immanuel,  which,  being  inter- 
preted, is,  God  with  us.  He  is  God  manifest  in  the  flesh  ;  so 
that  whatever  is  lovely  in  Deity,  or  lovely  in  humanity,  are 
united  in  the  person  of  the  Lord  Jesus — two  distinct  natures, 
but  one  person.  Do  you  ask,  Wherefore  did  the  Son  of  God 
assume  the  nature  of  man  ?  We  answer,  he  became  man  for 
the  redemption  of  men — the  assumption  of  our  nature  being 
necessary  to  prepare  him  for  the  services  and  sufferings  by 
which  alone  we  could  be  redeemed.  "  Yerily,"  says  Paul, 
"  he  took  not  on  him  the  nature  of  angels,  but  of  the  seed 
of  Abraham  ;  forasmuch  as  the  children  were  partakers  of  flesh 
and  blood,  he  also  himself,  likewise,  took  part  of  the  same."  If 
an  atonement  was  necessary,  we  can  not  conceive  it  to  have 
been  made  by  any  other  nature  than  that  which  sinned.  If  an 
angel  had  suffered,  there  would  have  been  no  display  of  the 
righteousness  of  God,  because  the  nature  that  had  sinned  would 
have  escaped  with  impunity.  It  behoved  the  Surety  to  be 
closely  allied  with  the  debtors  ;  bone  of  their  bone  and  flesh  of 
their  flesh. 

The  necessity  of  the  union  of  the  two  natures  further  ap- 
pears from  the  nature  of  the  sufferings  which  our  Eedeemer 
had  to  endure.  They  were  sufferings  which  would  atone  for 
the  guilt  of  the  people  of  God  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  the  world.  Human  nature,  unaided,  would  have  sunk  un- 
der them  ;  they  would  have  crushed  the  mightiest  angel  before 
the  throne.  As  it  was  necessary,  therefore,  that  the  penalty  of 
the  law  should  be  inflicted  on  the  nature  which  had  sinned,  it 
was  also  necessary  that  that  nature  should  be  so  sustained  in  the 


156 

conflict,  as  though,  bruised  and  broken,  not  to  be  utterly  de- 
stroyed. The  Son  of  God  took  our  nature  in  union  with  his 
own  ;  he  upheld  it  by  the  power  of  his  divinity ;  and  hence, 
although  the  man  Christ  Jesus  experienced  suflfering  unparal- 
leled, he  bore  it  with  invincible  fortitude,  and  closed  the  scene 
with  those  words  of  triumph,  "  It  is  finished  !" 

"I'll  sing  my  Saviour's  wondrous  deatli, 
He  conquered  when  he  fell ; 
'Tis  finished,  said  his  dying  breath, 
And  shook  the  gates  of  hell." 

Such  was  Christ  in  his  person  ;  and  who  tliat  feels  his  need  of 
Him,  will  not  say  that  he  is  precious  ? 

But,  again,  contemplate  him  in  his  offices,  namely,  those 
with  which  our  Eedeemer  is  invested  as  Mediator  between  God 
and  man.  This  general  oflSce  comprehends  the  particular  ones 
of  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King.  Each  of  these  relations  does 
Christ  sustain  to  his  Church,  and  in  each  of  them  he  is  pre- 
cious. It  was  necessary  that  he  should  discharge  the  duties 
of  all  these  offices,  in  order  to  the  complete  redemption  of  his 
peoj^le  ;  for  they  were  involved  in  ignorance,  guilt,  and  pollu- 
tion. As  a  Prophet,  he  removes  their  ignorance ;  as  a  Priest, 
their  guilt ;  as  a  King,  their  pollution.  The  necessity  of  his 
doing  all  this  is  very  clearly  pointed  out  by  the  Apostle,  when 
he  says  that  Christ  "is  made  of  God  unto  us  wisdom,  righteous- 
ness, sanctification,  and  redemption."  These  offices  relate 
both  to  God  and  to  man — God  being  the  immediate  object  of 
the  priestly,  and  man  of  the  prophetical  and  kingly  office ;  and 
thus  our  Lord  realizes  the  character  of  a  Mediator  by  perform- 
ing tliese  duties  ;  for  he  establishes  peace  between  man  and  his 
offended  God,  and  binds  them  together  in  intimate  and  invio- 
lable friendship. 

How  precious  to  us  is  Christ  in  the  character  of  a  Pro- 
phet !  "  I  know,"  said  the  woman  at  Jacob's  well,  "  that 
Messias   cometh,  which   is   called   Christ;    and   when  he   is 


157 

come,  he  will  tell  us  all  things."  These  words  have  no  author- 
ity in  themselves,  as  they  were  spoken  by  an  ignorant  and 
wicked  woman ;  but  they  nevertheless  show  the  prevalent 
opinion  in  the  Old  Testament  Church,  that  the  Messiah  would 
solve  all  questions  in  religion,  and  make  a  clearer  and  more 
perfect  revelation  than  was  then  enjoyed.  It  is  the  glory  of 
Christ  as  a  Prophet,  that  he  has  not  only  shed  new^light  upon 
the  subjects  of  which  men  before  possessed  some  knowledge, 
but  has  disclosed  that  of  which  they  had  scarce  any  proper 
conception.  It  is  chiefly  on  this  account  that  he  is  called  the 
light  of  the  world.  He  has  revealed  his  Father  to  us  as  a  God 
of  love,  and  himself  in  the  character  of  a  Saviour.  What  we 
wanted  to  know  was  not  merely  that  there  was  one  God,  but 
that  he  was  propitious  towards  us  ;  not  merely  that  we  should 
worship  him,  but  that  our  services  would  be  acceptable  ;  not 
merely  that  there  is  a  state  beyond  the  grave,  but  the  means 
of  attaining  its  blessedness.  On  these  subjects  he  has  given  us 
full  satisfaction.  His  words  of  truth  and  grace  penetrate  the 
soul,  and  are  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.  Prejudice,  sin, 
and  vanity,  are  scattered  by  the  power  of  that  light  which  he 
causes  to  shine  into  the  sinner's  heart.  See  Nicodemus  timidly 
going  to  Christ,  though  convinced  that  he  was  a  teacher  come 
from  God  ;  by  a  revelation  of  the  nature  and  necessity  of  the 
new  birth,  his  soul  is  purged  of  its  cowardice  ;  and  hence  that 
same  man,  we  are  told,  after  the  crucifixion,  went  in  boldly 
unto  Pilate,  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus.  Thus  was  it  with 
the  woman  of  Samaria;  thus  is  it  with  every  one  who  is  taught 
of  Christ,  to  whom  he  reveals  his  glory,  and  imparts  the  bless- 
ings of  his  grace. 

He  is  precious  also  as  a  Priest.  The  two  great  duties  of  the 
sacerdotal  office  are  sacrifice  and  intercession.  "  Christ  was 
once  offered,  to  bear  the  sins  of  many  ;"  and  "when  he  had  by 
himself  purged  our  sins,  he  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the 
Majesty  on  high."  By  his  own  blood  he  entered  once  into  the 
holy  place,  having  obtained  eternal  redemption  for  us. 


158 

Tlie  second  duty  of  his  office  is  inUrcession.  It  was  typified 
by  the  entrance  of  the  high  priest  into  the  most  holy  place, 
where  he  sprinkled  the  blood  of  the  sacrifice,  and  burned  in- 
cense before  the  mercy-seat ;  and  it  is  carried  on  in  heaven,  of 
which  that  place  was  a  figure.  The  death  of  Christ  was  a 
sacrifice  not  for  one  generation  alone,  but  for  men  in  every  age. 
He  ever  lives  to  make  intercession  in  the  heavenly  sanctuary ; 
and  hence  "  he  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto 
God  by  him."  The  oblation  of  Christ  satisfied  every  demand 
of  justice,  and  cancelled  the  sentence  pronounced  by  the  moral 
law  upon  all  who  have  violated  its  precepts.  He  finished 
transgression,  made  an  end  of  sins,  and  made  reconciliation  for 
iniquity,  and  brought  in  an  everlasting  righteousness.  Hence 
forgiveness  is  preached  through  him  ;  and  those  who  believe 
are  justified  from  all  things  from  which  they  could  not  be  just- 
ified by  the  law  of  Moses.  Nothing  is  necessary  to  our  full 
pardon  but  faith  in  the  great  propitiation.  A  sure  foundation 
is  thus  laid  for  the  peace  and  comfort  of  every  child  of  God  ; 
and  if  this  is  not  his  experience,  it  is  because  of  the  weakness 
of  his  faith.  There  is  no  burden  of  sin,  no  sorrow  of  earth,  no 
conflict  in  the  spiritual  life,  which  we  may  not  carry  to  him 
who  is  our  great  High  Priest  and  Advocate  on  high.  "  If  any 
man  sin,"  says  Paul,  "  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father- 
Jesus  Christ  the  High  Priest  of  our  profession."  Is  he  not  pre- 
cious ?  Did  we  not  so  esteem  him  when,  burdened  with  guilt, 
we  sought  the  foot  of  his  cross  ?  Did  we  not  so  find  him  when, 
pleading  for  mercy,  we  remembered  that  he  was  our  glorious 
intercessor  ?  Oh  !  cleave  to  this  blessed  truth ;  hold  it  fast  as 
the  very  element  of  immortality.  Lose  sight,  of  it  and  you 
may  shut  up  this  blessed  book  of  God,  and  seal  it  forever ; 
and  your  poor  soul  will  stand  exposed  to  the  wrath  and  curse 
of  heaven.  But  believe  it,  cherish  it,  and  hide  it  in  your  heart, 
and  there  shall  be  no  night  of  adversity  in  which  Christ  shall 
not  be  precious — precious  because  his  advocacy  in  heaven  is 
intimately  connected  with  his  sufferings  on  Calvary. 


159 

"  Below,  he  washed  our  guilt  away, 
By  his  atoning  blood  ; 
Now  he  appears  before  the  throne 
And  pleads  our  cause  with  God." 

Christ  is  also  precious  as  a  King.  As  the  crown,  consum- 
mation, and  glory  of  his  mediatorial  character,  he  is  King  of 
kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  "All  power,"  says  Christ,  "  is  given 
unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth  ;  and  lo  I  am  with  you  always," 
Ought  not  this  consideration  to  fill  the  minds  of  believers  with 
holy  confidence  and  peace  in  this  vale  of  tears  ?  Is  it  not  a 
precious  thought  that  we  have  a  King  in  heaven  who  has  the 
reins  of  universal  government  in  his  hands,  to  whom  the  princi- 
palities of  heaven  and  the  powers  of  hell  are  subject,  who  em- 
ploys the  services  of  the  one,  and  overrules  the  malice  and 
opposition  of  the  other  for  the  spiritual  and  eternal  welfare  of 
his  people  ?  All  the  dispensations  of  Providence  are  under  his 
sovereign  control,  and  even  the  darkest  and  most  intricate  are 
made  to  work  together  for  their  good.  They  need  fear  no  ene- 
my in  life,  no  evil  in  death ;  for  He  who  conquered  death  and 
the  grave,  and  who  holds  in  his  hand  the  kej^s  of  both,  will 
make  his  people  more  than  conquerors. 

If  you  are  the  subjects  of  his  kingdom  ;  if  he  has  made  you 
willing  in  the  day  of  his  power ;  if  you  have  opened  to  him 
the  door  of  your  heart ;  if  he  has  entered  and  renewed,  en- 
lightened and  sanctified  you  ;  if  he  is  now  subduing  your  ini- 
quities, and  working  in  you  the  obedience  he  requires,  then 
speak  of  the  glory  of  his  kingdom,  and  talk  of  his  power.  Let 
nothing  divide  thy  heart  with  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  say  he  is 
precious. 

Again,  we  would  remark  that  Christ  is  precious  in  his  all- 
sufficiency.  There  is  every  thing  in  the  Lord  Jesus  that  is 
either  needful  or  suitable,  and  every  thing  in  and  about  him  is 
precious.  His  blood,  that  cleauseth  from  all  sin,  is  called  pre- 
cious. His  promises,  extending  to  every  want,  adapted  to  our 
every  condition,  are  called  exceeding  great  and  precious  pro- 


160 

mises.  The  faith  which  he  imparts,  and  by  which  we  are  en- 
abled to  appreliend  him  and  all  his  blessings,  is  called  precious 
faith.  His  people  are  called  precious  sons  of  Zion,  compar- 
able to  fine  gold.  Yea,  even  the  Christian's  trials,  crosses,  and 
persecutions  for  his  sake,  are  precious.  Who  that  has  suffered 
for  his  Master's  sake,  can  not  say  with  Moses,  that  he  esteems 
them  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt?  As  our 
sufferings  abound,  so  also,  said  the  Apostle,  do  our  consolations 
abound.  We  live  in  a  world  of  trial.  Tears  will  not  cease  to 
How  till  hearts  have  ceased  to  wander.  The  reign  of  sorrow 
will  exist  as  long  as  the  dominion  of  evil ;  but  amid  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  life,  Jesus  is  the  same,  yesterday,  to-day,  and 
forever.  He  is  the  Friend  made  for  adversity,  the  Brother 
whom  we  can  not  lose ;  and  if  in  the  world  we  must  have  tri- 
bulation, yet  we  may  be  of  good  cheer,  for  he  has  overcome 
the  world.  We  may  sow  in  tears,  but  we  shall  reap  in  joy. 
Heaviness  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  through  Christ  joy  shall 
come  in  the  morning.  And  it  shall  be  our  acknowledgment 
in  eternity,  as  it  should  be  now,  that  amidst  all  the  revolutions 
of  time,  and  the  sorrows  of  life,  Christ  is  all-sufficient,  and  that 
sufficiency  abiding  and  eternal. 

We  close  this  part  of  our  subject  with  the  remark  that  Christ 
is  increasingly  precious.  There  are  many  things  upon  the  at- 
tainment of  which  we  may  write,  "All  is  vanity ;"  there  are 
others  which  lose  their  power  to  attract  and  charm  us  ;  but  it 
is  not  so  with  Christ.  The  more  we  advance  in  the  knowledge 
of  him,  the  more  we  draw  out  of  his  glorious  fullness,  the 
closer  we  approximate  the  end  of  life,  the  more  precious  does 
lie  become.  We  brought  nothing  into  this  world,  and  we  can 
take  nothing  out  of  it,  one  thing  excepted,  and  that  is  Christ, 
the  hope  of  glory.  He  is  increasing  light,  life,  and  joy,  to  all 
who  embrace  him. 

II.  Who  are  they  that  can  appreciate  and  apply  this  pre- 
ciousness  ?    "  Unto  you  which  believe  he  is  precious." 


161 

We  may  make  two  uses  of  this  declaration.  We  may  take 
it  as  a  test  to  examine  ourselves,  whether  we  be  in  the  faith. 
What  think  you  of  Christ  ?  Do  you  see  a  beauty  in  him  that 
you  desire  him  ?  Is  he  increasingly  precious  ?  You  may  feel 
great  imperfections  of  character,  and  that  sin  mingles  with 
your  best  performances,  and  you  may  mourn  over  your  short- 
comings :  yet  if  Christ  is  precious  in  his  person  and  offices,  in 
his  relations  and  his  work ;  if  every  thing  is  precious  to  you 
that  furthers  his  cause,  and  every  thing  hateful  that  impedes 
it;  then,  on  the  authority  of  God's  blessed  book,  I  tell  you, 
you  are  a  believer ;  you  ought  to  credit  the  fact,  and  rest  in 
his  love. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  Christ  is  not  precious,  it  is  because 
you  have  not  believed.  Christ  is  not  precious  to  unbelievers, 
because  they  have  no  views  of  his  excellency  ;  the  god  of  this 
world  halh  blinded  them,  that  they  can  not  see  Him.  They 
know  not  their  disease,  and  therefore  feel  no  need  of  the  Great 
Physician. 

When  a  man  first  believes,  he  realizes  that  he  is  the  wretch- 
ed, fallen  creature  God  has  declared  him  to  be  ;  and  then  he 
believes  what  the  Bible  says  respecting  Jesus  Christ,  that,  "  God 
has  made  him  to  be  a  sin-offering  for  us,  that  we  might  be  made 
the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."  This  faith  is  not  a  mere  act 
of  the  mind  assenting  to  the  truth  of  the  GosjdcI  as  to  any  other 
truth  upon  credible  testimony,  but  is  a  supernatural  act,  pro- 
duced by  the  power  of  the  spirit  of  grace,  and  is  such  a  per- 
suasion of  the  truth  concerning  the  Saviour  as  calls  forth  exer- 
cises suitable  to  the  nature  of  the  object.  It  is  a  cordial 
approbation  of  the  Saviour,  a  hearty  consent  to  his  offers,  and 
an  acceptance  of  him  in  his  entire  character,  as  made  of  God 
Jo  us  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption. 

In  all  the  descriptions  of  faith  given  by  the  saci-ed  writers, 
it  is  represented  as  having  immediate  reference  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.    They  hold  faith  as  clothed  with  attributes  and 

11 


162 

actions.  It  is  called  a  coming  to  Christ,  a  receiving  of  liim,  an 
eating  of  his  flesh,  and  drinking  of  his  blood.  When  a  man 
believes,  he  obtains  an  interest  in  the  object  of  his  faith  ; 
Christ  becomes  his,  according  to  the  promise  of  God.  He  en- 
ters into  covenant  with  him  ;  and  while  he  takes  him  as  his 
Saviour,  he  devotes  himself  to  him  in  a  way  of  holy  obedi- 
ence. 

Let  no  man  say  he  gives  himself  to  Christ,  who  is  not  as 
anxious  to  obey  him  as  to  be  saved  by  him.  The  real  believer 
in  Christ  desires  purity  as  ranch  as  pardon  ;  to  be  made  like 
Christ ;  to  have  Christ's  image  in  his  heart,  and  Christ's  Spirit 
reflected  in  his  life.  This  is  the  evidence  of  that  faith  which 
imites  to  Christ.  If  you  have  your  fruit  unto  holiness,  the  end 
will  be  everlasting  life. 

On  earth,  to  you  who  believe,  Christ  is  precious :  what,  then, 
shall  he  be  in  heaven,  when  faith  shall  be  lost  in  sight ;  hope, 
in  possession  ;  and  mortality  shall  be  swallowed  up  of  life  ? 
But  are  there  any  here  to  whom  Christ  is  not  precious  ?  I 
would  say  to  such  that  there  are  two  inquiries  which  you  should 
seriously  ponder,  and  which  are  closely  connected — What  think 
ye  of  Christ.  What  does  Christ  think  of  you  ?  The  answer 
to  one  of  these,  will  furnish  a  reply  to  the  other. 

«'  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  is  the  test 

To  try  both  your  state  and  your  scheme ; 
You  can  not  be  right  in  the  rest, 
Unless  you  think  highly  of  him. 

"  As  Jesus  appears  to  your  view, 
As  he  is  beloved  or  not, 
So  God  is  disposed  toward  you, 

And  mercy  or  wrath  is  your  lot."  ' 


163 


SERMON     XI. 

A    DOOR    OPENED    IN    HEAVEN. 

"  I  LOOKED,  and  behold  a  door  was  opened  in  heaven." — Rev.  4  :  1. 

When  John  leaned  upon  the  bosom  of  Jesns,  a  distinguished 
lionor  was  conferred  upon  him  ;  but  during  his  imprisonment 
in  Patmos,  he  was  admitted  to  far  more  intimate  fellowship 
with  his  Master,  when  those  wonderful  revelations  were  made 
to  him,  which  he  has  described  in  this  book.  He  had  seen 
Jesus  in  the  days  of  His  humiliation  ;  he  had  seen  Him  on  the 
mount  of  transfiguration  ;  he  had  seen  Him  ascend  up  to  hea- 
ven ;  but  here,  in  Patmos,  he  gets  a  view  of  the  majesty  and 
glory  of  the  Saviour,  at  once  new  and  overpowering,  His 
eyes  are  like  a  flaming  fire,  his  countenance  like  the  sun  shin- 
ing in  his  strength,  his  voice  like  the  sound  of  many  waters, 
and  in  his  right  hand  are  seven  stars.  No  wonder  that  John 
fell  at  His  feet  as  dead. 

But  this  magnificent  vision  was  not  for  the  Apostle  alone. 
He  was  charged  to  write  what  he  saw,  of  the  things  "  which 
are  now,  and  which  shall  be  hereafter,"  for  the  instruction  of 
the  universal  Church.  Blessed  he  was  in  being  chosen  by  his 
Master  to  see  and  describe  these  things,  and  blessed  also  are 
they  who  read  the  record,  and  keep  the  things  written  therein. 
John  is  first  of  all  charged  with  certain  messages  of  love  and 
warning  to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  Minor ;  and  next  he 
says,  "I  looked,  and  behold  a  door  was  opened  in  heaven," 
through  which  he  was  permitted  to  look  down  the  long  vista 
of  coming  centuries,  and  see  "  things  that  should  be  here- 
after." 

I  propose  to  direct  your  attention  to  the  fact  stated  in  the 
words  of  my  text — "  the  door  opened  in  heaven,"  and  to  in- 


164 

quire  how  this  door  was  opened,  the  persons  for  whom,  and 
the  purposes  for  which  it  was  opened. 

Heaven  may  be  considered  both  as  a  state  and  2i place.  As 
a  state,  it  may  be  experienced  any  where  out  of  helh  "We  may 
have  a  heaven  on  earth  in  communion  with  God.  We  need 
not  go  beyond  the  stars  and  seek  that  world  where  the  seraph 
strikes  his  golden  harp,  and  the  palm-trees  flourish  in  eternal 
youth.  No !  Give  us  the  heart  where  Jesus  abides  and  reveals 
himself  to  the  soul,  and  there  is  heaven,  then  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  within  us.  When  Jacob  awoke  from  his  privileged 
slumber  at  Bethel,  he  exclaimed,  in  view  of  what  he  had  seen 
and  heard :  "  This  is  the  gate  of  heaven."  When  the  disciples 
stood  with  Christ  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and  beheld 
his  glory,  that  was  heaven  to  them,  and  they  said  :  "  It  is  good 
to  be  here,  let  us  build  tabernacles  and  abide."  Heaven  is 
the  revelation  of  Christ  to  the  soul.  The  saints  may  be  joyful 
in  glory  even  while  they  are  on  the  earth.  Happiness  is  not 
confined  to  place,  it  depends  not  on  external  things,  it  may 
raise  its  song  of  praise  from  the  inner  prison  at  midnight,  or 
even  at  the  martyr's  stake.  There  can  be  no  heaven  that  does 
not  begin  here  in  the  heart.  What  is  the  heaven  of  the  un- 
renewed man  ?  It  is  a  heaven  without  God  and  without  holi- 
ness— it  may  include  many  things  truly  desirable  to  the  spirit- 
ual mind,  but  will  want  much  that  constitutes  the  heaven  of 
the  Christian.  The  Bible — the  throne  of  God,  would  not  be 
there.  There  would  be  no  casting  of  crowns  at  the  Saviour's 
feet — no  song  worthy  the  Lamb — no  service,  day  and  night, 
crying,  Holy,  holy,  holy.  Why  should  there  be  ?  Will  men 
erect  a  throne  for  God  in  heaven,  if  they  will  not  erect  one  in 
their  own  hearts?  Will  they  cast  their  crowns  before  the 
Saviour  in  heaven,  if  on  earth  they  crucify  him  afresh,  and 
tread  under  foot  his  precious  blood  ?  Ah !  we  have  heaven 
begun  in  our  hearts  here,  if  we  would  enjoy  its  blissful  real- 
ities hereafter. 


165 

Althoiigh  heaven  is  chiefly  to  be  viewed  as  a  state,  it  is  also 
to  be  considered  as  o.  place.     It  is  the  residence  of  Deity — tlie 
place  where  God  shows  forth  his  glorious  presence — the  habit- 
ation of  his  holiness.     A  great  and  good  man  (I)r.  Chalmers) 
has  endeavored  to  prove  that  heaven  is  not  a  locality,  but  sim- 
ply a  state,  but  it  seems  to  me  both  reasonable  and  scriptural 
to  believe  that  heaven  is  not  merely  a  state,  but  also  a  place. 
As  man,  Christ  has  a  body,  but  that  body  is  bound  by  the  laws 
of  time  and  space.     Enoch,  Moses,  and  Elijah  have  the  resur- 
rection bodies,  and  they  must  be  somewhere.     True,  God  can 
make  any  place  heaven  by  there  revealing  himself  and  com- 
municating the  fullness  of  his  love,  but  this  is  nothing  to  the 
purpose ;  our  business  is  not  with  speculations  about  his  power, 
but  the  declarations  of  his  word ;  and  that  word  uniformly 
supposes  that  there  is  a  particular  place  appointed  to  the  final 
abode  of  the  righteous.     It  is  the  residence  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  his  glorified  body.     Our  Saviour  said  to  the  penitent 
thief:  "  This  day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise."    To  his 
disciples  he  said :  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you."     Yes, 
there  is  ^  place  far  beyond  the  reach  of  human  eyes  or  human 
thought,  where  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  shall  dwell  in  one 
holy  brotherhood.     There  they  shall  be  brought  near  to  the 
throne  of  the  great  King  and  behold  his  glory.     But  we  must 
not  attempt  to  describe  what  "  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard,  nor  hath  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive," 
the  sanctuary  "  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens." 
What  a  glorious  place  must  that  be,  which  needs  neither  the 
sun  nor  moon  to  shine  there,  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
Lamb  are  the  light  thereof,  and  the  nation  of  them  that  are 
saved  shall  walk  in  the  light  of  it.     N^ow,  to  this  world  a  door 
has  been  opened.     How  ?  and  by  whom  ? 

The  declaration  that  the  door  was  opened,  implies  that  it 
had  been  previously  shut.  Sin  had  shut  the  door  against  us. 
When  God  drove  man  out  of  Eden,  and  guarded  the  way  to 


166 

the  tree  of  life  by  cherubim  and  a  flaming  sword,  he  declared 
that  heaven  was  not  to  be  entered  upon  the  terms  of  tlie  cove- 
nant of  works.  This  brings  to  our  view  the  Great  Deliverer, 
Christ  the  Mediator  of  a  better  covenant.  He  opened  heaven 
for  us,  and  we  are  not  ignorant  of  the  manner  in  which  it  was 
accomplished.  As  the  high  priest  of  old  entered  into  the  holy 
place  not  without  blood,  so  even  Christ  entered  not  into  heaven 
until  he  carried  with  him  his  own  most  precious  blood.  To 
open  heaven  for  believers,  was  the  object  for  which  he  came 
into  this  world.  For  that,  he  took  upon  him  our  nature,  bore 
our  griefs,  and  carried  our  sorrows  ;  for  that,  he  trod  alone  the 
wine-press,  agonized  in  Gethsemane,  and  yielded  up  the  ghost 
on  Calvary.  But  for  this,  Gethsemane  had  never  heard  that 
prayer,  "  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  ;'' 
or  Calvary  that  cry,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  liast  thou  for- 
saken me  ?" 

A  door  opened  in  heaven  was  the  joy  set  before  him,  for 
which  he  endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame,  and  when  he 
had  magnified  the  law  and  made  it  honorable,  and  satisfied 
tJie  justice  of  God,  he  cried:  "It  is  finished."  Heaven  re- 
sponded :  "  Lift  up  your  heads  O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lifted  up 
ye  everlasting  doors,  and  the  King  of  Glory  shall  come  in. 
Who  is  this  King  of  Glory  ?  The  sufferer  on  Calvary,  he  is 
the  King  of  Glory."  He  entered  heaven  in  behalf  of  his 
people.  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled" — he  entered  into 
the  holy  place  having  obtained  eternal  redemption  for  us ;  and 
mark  the  beautiful  connection,  the  links  in  the  chain — when 
Christ  entered  heaven,  having  opened  the  door  for  us,  he  sent 
down  his  Spirit  to  renew,  purify,  and  fit  us  for  that  which  he 
had  purchased — yea,  to  seal  us  unto  the  day  oi perfect  redemp- 
tion. 

Christ  hath  opened  heaven  for  believers :  this  is  the  great 
truth  of  the  Gospel — the  great  truth  of  Scripture,  which  like 
Aaron's  rod  swallows  up  every  other.     Promise,  type,  pro- 


167 

phecj,  miracle,  all  bear  witness  to  and  unite  in  explaining 
and  enforcing  it.  Could  a  door  have  been  opened  in  heaven 
by  any  other  means,  it  would  have  been  done.  But  the  Bible 
while  it  reveals  heaven  opened  to  us,  sets  forth  Christ  as  "  the 
way,  the  truth,  and  the  life."  That  "  no  man  cometh  to  the 
Father  but  by  him."  That  there  is  salvation  in  none  other, 
"  For  it  hath  pleased  the  Father  that  in  him  should  all  fullness 
dwell." 

Kow  there  are  multitudes  who  decline  this  way  to  heaven ; 
who,  seemingly  ignorant  of  God's  righteousness,  or  like  those 
who  never  heard  the  tidings  borne  by  the  heavenly  company 
to  the  shepherds  on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem ;  go  about  to 
establish  their  own  righteousness,  trusting  to  their  morality, 
or  their  reformation,  or  tlieir  prayers,  or  their  freedom  from 
gross  sins,  or  their  good  works.  But  I  put  it  to  the  common- 
sense  of  every  man,  whether  Christ  would  have  come  into  the 
world  to  save  us  at  such  a  cost  to  himself,  if  we  had  not  been 
beyond  all  hope  of  self-recovery  ?  Can  you  imagine  that  he 
bled  and  died  for  naught  ?  that  without  any  necessity  he  drank 
a  cup  of  sorrow  at  which  his  nature  started  back  in  horror, 
while  the  earth  quaked  and  the  sun  hid  his  face?  No !  we  are 
compelled  to  believe  that  if  a  door  could  have  been  opened 
for  us  into  heaven,  consistently  with  God's  justice,  and  the 
claims  of  truth  and  righteousness,  heaven  and  earth  would 
never  have  witnessed  the  sorrow,  shame,  and  death  of  the  Son 
of  God. 

II.  For  what  purpose  was  this  door  opened  in  heaven  ?  To 
John  it  was  a  door  of  revelation  :  "  Come  up  hither  and  I  will 
show  you  the  things  that  must  be  hereafter  ;"  he  looked  in  and 
saw  many  things  of  which  you  may  read  in  this  book.  Ours 
is  the  same  privilege ;  we  too,  in  the  light  of  revelation,  can 
look  in  at  this  open  door  and  see  what  Stephen  saw,  Jesus 
standing  at  the  riglit  hand  of  God.  We  can  see  there  those 
who  died  in  the  faith  of  Jesus,  clothed  with  white  robes  and 


168 

palms  in  their  hands,  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect, 
tlie  apostles  and  prophets.  There,  too,  we  may  see  loved  ones 
who  have  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus ;  their  bodies  may  rest  in  some 
far  distant  land,  their  place  of  sepulchre  may  be  unknown  to 
us ;  but  through  this  open  door  we  may  see  them  within  the 
vail.  No  more  sorrow,  pain,  or  sickness ;  the  weary  of  the 
earth  are  at  rest  there.  "We  can  see  them  at  their  employ- 
ments, and  anticipate  the  hour  when  we  shall  join  them. 

To  many  a  weary  pilgrim  on  earth,  "faint  yet  pursuing," 
God  says,  as  he  did  to  John,  in  Patmos :  "  Come  up  hither, 
and  I  will  show  thee  things  which  must  be  hereafter."  "  Seest 
thou  these  with  white  robes  and  palms  in  their  hands,  God's 
name  in  their  foreheads  ?  These  are  they  who  lately  walked 
with  you  in  the  vale  of  sorrow  and  conflict ;  they  have  got  their 
crown.  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  also 
a  crown  of  life.  Seest  thou  Him  who  sits  upon  the  throne  and 
dwells  among  them  ?  '  They  shall  hunger  no  more  nor  thirst 
any  more,  for  he  that  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed 
them  and  lead  them  to  living  fountains  of  water,  and  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes.'  " 

This  door  is  one  of  intercourse.  Through  it  Jacob  saw  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending.  Christ  is  the  chan- 
nel of  all  blessings,  they  all  flow  to  us  through  that  door  which 
he  has  opened.  Through  it  come  those  ministering  spirits  who 
are  sent  forth  to  minister  to  the  heirs  of  salvation.  But,  above 
all,  that  Tloly  Spirit  which  rested  upon  Christ  at  his  baptism, 
comes  through  that  open  door  to  rest  upon  his  members  as  it 
then  rested  on  the  Head.  Christ  said  :  "I  will  not  leave  you 
comfortless,  I  will  send  you  another  Comforter,  even  the  Spirit  of 
truth."  The  Holy  Spirit,  the  Sanctifier,  the  Enlightener,  the 
Comforter,  flows  to  us  through  this  door  which  Christ  has 
opened.  Every  true  child  of  God  has  an  experimental  know- 
ledge of  this  truth.  He  knows  it,  and  has  proved  it.  He  has 
been  conscious  of  it  at  times  from  the  hour  when  he  first  be- 


169 

lieved  in  ChrisL ;  and  whenever  he  needs  consolation  lie  turns 
his  eye  to  that  open  door,  and  asks,  believing  that  if  earthly 
parents  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  their  children,  much 
more  will  our  heavenly  Father  give  his  Holy  Spirit  to  them 
that  ask  him. 

It  is  also  a  door  of  entrance.  Christ's  prayer  was :  "  Father, 
I  will  that  they  also  whom  thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me 
where  I  am,  that  they  may  behold  my  glor3^"  That  prayer  of 
Him  whom  the  Father  heareth  always,  and  which  was  oifered 
in  terms  such  as  none  other  ever  was,  "  I  will,"  had  reference 
to  the  personal  admission  of  his  disciples  to  heaven  where  he 
manifests  that  glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father  before  the 
world  was.  Trusting  to  the  efficacy  of  that  prayer,  Paul  knew 
that  to  be  absent  from  the  body  was  to  be  present  with  the 
Lord.  Is^ow,  in  these  days  of  our  pilgrimage,  it  is  by  faith 
alone  that  we  have  entrance  into  heaven.  Believers,  even 
now,  through  this  open  door,  may  enter  into  the  gracious  pre- 
sence of  God.  But  we  speak  of  it  more  particularly  as  a  door 
of  future  actual  entrance — the  entrance  that  awaits  our  spirits 
when  the  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  is  dissolved — the 
entrance  of  both  body  and  soul  at  the  resurrection.  Of  that 
entrance  the  present  is  an  earnest.  He  who  now  has  access 
into  the  holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  has  in  every  such  ap- 
proach an  earnest  and  assurance  of  his  abundant  admission  at 
last  into  the  kingdom.  That  kingdom  is  not  for  all ;  it  is  only 
for  those  who  love  God,  and  are  thus  fitted  for  it.  "  Except," 
said  Christ,  "  your  righteousness  exceeds  that  of  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  "  If  thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  command- 
ment." "  This  is  the  commandment,  that  ye  believe  on  the 
name  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ."  When  through  this  door, 
opened  in  heaven,  John  was  favored  with  a  view  of  the  celes- 
tial city,  he  was  told  that  there  should  in  no  wise  enter  into  it 
any  thing  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever  worketh  abomina- 


170 

tlon,  or  that  maketli  a  lie,  but  they  which  are  written  in  the 
Lamb's  book  of  life. 

Who  are  they  who  have  already  entered  into  heaven  ?  Abel 
is  there,  the  first  of  Adam's  children  admitted  into  that  bliss- 
ful place.  Enoch,  who  long  walked  with  God,  is  there,  trans- 
lated in  body  and  soul,  that  he  should  not  see  death.  Elijah, 
who  in  an  age  of  general  declension  was  very  zealous  for  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  is  there,  carried  thither  in  a  chariot  of  fire. 
Patriarchs  and  prophets  are  there,  who  through  faith  and 
patience  inherit  the  promises.  And  with  these,  a  great  mul- 
titude which  no  man  can  number — a  multitude  whose  names, 
though  not  found  in  the  rolls  of  earthly  fame,  are  writteii  in 
the  book  of  life — a  multitude  out  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds, 
and  tongues,  who  have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  '''■Therefore  are  they  before 
the  throne."  And  if  we  too  would  enter  there,  we  must  be 
made  meet  for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light.  Except  a 
man  be  born  again,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
What  happiness  could  he  find  in  heaven,  even  if  admitted 
there,  who  carried  with  him  a  heart  destitute  of  all  sympathy 
with  its  occupations  and  pleasures  ?  God  will  never  permit 
any  one  to  enter  heaven  and  be  unhappy  there,  and  therefore 
if  you  would  enter  through  the  opened  door,  you  must  first  be 
made  raeet  for  heaven. 

Finally^  We  would  remind  you  that  this  door  will  not  be 
always  open.  That  which  was  opened,  we  are  told,  shall  one 
day  be  shut.    See  Matt  25  :  7-10,  and  Luke  13  :  23,  27. 

These  passages  of  God's  word  teach  us  that  there  is  a  two- 
fold shutting  of  the  door.  First,  at  the  end  of  the  world,  as  to 
the  human  race,  when  time  will  be  no  more ;  and  second,  at 
the  end  of  our  individual  life — that,  with  each  one  of  us,  will 
be  the  shutting  of  the  door,  the  determining  of  our  character 
and  condition  for  eternity.  We  believe  that  not  unfrequently 
this  may  be  determined   before   death.      Instances   are   not 


Ill 

wanting  in  which  men  and  women  have  cried  out,  long  before 
death,  "  Too  late — Too  late.'''  The  harvest  is  past,  tlie  summer 
is  ended,  the  door  is  shut.  The  word  of  God  uses  words  of 
solemn  import  on  this  subject.  It  says:  "  Ephraim  is  joined 
to  idols,  let  him  alone" — and  that  man  is  doomed  of  whom  God 
says  to  his  Holy  Spirit,  let  him  alone.  The  day  of  grace  may 
terminate  before  the  close  of  life.  "  Oh  !"  said  Christ,  "  that 
thou  hadst  known,  even  thou,  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  that 
belong  to  thy  peace,  but  now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes." 

There  are  few  but  pass  through  seasons  peculiarly  favorable 
to  salvation,  lono-  antecedent  to  death.     That  bed  of  sickness 
when  you  were  awakened  to  serious  reflection  ;  that  breaking 
up  and  disappointment  of  your  schemes  and  hopes,  when  you 
were  made  to  feel  the  vanity  of  earth ;  that  bereavement  in 
which  God  softened  your  heart,  taking  away  the  desire  of  your 
eyes  with  a  stroke  ;  that  dying  believer  triumphant  over  the 
last  enemy,  who  testified,  amid  the  swellings  of  Jordan,  to  you 
of  Jesus  and  his  love,  and  whom  you  almost  saw  pass  into  that 
open  door  of  heaven,  compelling  you  to  exclaim,  "  Let  me 
die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like 
his  ;"  that  sermon  when  conscience  was  awakened,  and  the 
word  came  to  you  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  with 
power.     Oh  I  these  were  precious  seasons — days  of  salvation  : 
why  did  you  not  make  them  an  accepted  time  ?     You  may 
have  had  your  last  warning ;  you  may  be  hearing  your  last 
sermon  ;  you  may  have  had  your  last  sickness  ;  when  death 
comes,  he  may  summon  you  in  an  instant.     Under  the  dispens- 
ations of  God's  hand  you  may  be  feeling  as  you  will  never 
feel  again  ;  but  like  Felix,  you  may  be  saying :  "  Go  thy  way 
for  this  time,  when  I  have  a  more  convenient  season  I  will  call 
for  thee."    That  time  may  never  come.      Says  God  :  "  My 
Spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with  man."    To-day  then  we 
point  you  to  a  door  opened  in  heaven — opened  by  the  blood 
and  righteousness  of  Jesus.     Let  me  counsel  you  that  ye  strive 


172 

to  enter  in,  that  with  eager  desire  ye  press  on  towards 
it.  In  a  little  while  your  desire  shall  be  fultilled,  and  mortal- 
ity shall  be  swallowed  up  of  life.  Ye  shall  enter  within  those 
opened  portals,  and  your  soul  shall  gaze  upon  the  wondere  of 
its  completed  salvation.  'What  pearly  gates  are  these,  what 
jasper  walls,  what  streets  of  shining  gold  ?  Why,  this  is  hea- 
ven, and  these  the  spirits  of  the  just !  I  see  again  my  loved 
ones,  and  there  is  Jesus,  the  Beloved  of  my  soul,  clothed  witli 
the  glorious  majesty  of  his  Godhead  !  Shall  not  this  prospect 
give  new  life  to  our  efforts,  and  fresh  iire  to  our  zeal  to  enter 
by  that  door,  and  take  others  with  us  to  that  better  land? 
Prophets  and  martyi-s  beckon  you  on  from  their  starry  thrones. 
Jesus,  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  bids  you  come,  weary 
and  heavy  laden  ;  press  on  while  yet  ye  may.  Be  followers  of 
them  who  through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promises,  and 
remember  that,  while  the  righteousness  of  Christ  is  your  title, 
sanctification  by  the  Spirit  is  your  qualification.  Remember 
that  while  the  way  by  Calvary  leads  to  an  open  door  in  hea- 
ven, and  that  while  heaven  will  be  a  world  bright  with  glory 
and  joj',  it  is,  after  all,  a  holy  place  prepared  for  holy  people, 
and  that  the  unsanctified  shall  not  enter  therein. 

We  would  fain  speak  only  of  heaven,  but  we  must  admonish 
some  that  there  is  another  world,  and  that,  if  they  miss  that 
open  door,  that  other  world  must  be  their  everlasting  portion. 
Hear  then  the  voice  of  Him  who  came  to  seek  and  to  save, 
the  good  Shepherd  who  laid  down  his  life  for  the  sheep.  His 
declaration  is:  "I  am  the  door ;  by  me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he 
shall  be  saved."  Seek  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found,  call 
upon  while  he  is  near.  Your  harvest  is  not  yet  passed,  your 
summer  is  not  yet  ended.  To-day,  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice, 
harden  not  your  hearts.  Believing  in  Jesus,  and  walking  in 
his  commandments,  when  the  present  life  is  ended,  you  shall 
pass  through  the  opened  door  into  the  Saviour's  immediate 
presence,  where  is  fullness  of  joy,  and  pleasures  for  evermore. 


173 


SERMON     XII. 

THE  RESURRECTION   OP   THE   BODY. 

"  Who  shall  change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious 
body,  according  to  the  working  whereby  he  is  able  even  to  subdue  all  things  unto 
himself."— Phil.  3  :  21. 

Chkist  died  to  redeem  the  whole  man — the  body  and  the 
soul.  "  I  know,"  said  Job,  as  he  looked  upon  his  failing  flesh 
and  wasting  frame,  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and 
though  after  my  skin,  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh 
shall  I  see  God."  The  patriarch  was  correct  in  his  views  of 
the  second  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  the  conse- 
quences of  his  advent  to  his  people.  If  we  are  among  those 
who  by  God's  grace  possess  the  first  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  in  the 
renewal  and  sanctification  of  our  hearts,  we  too  are  authorized 
to  anticipate  confidently  this  further  result  of  our  adoption  into 
the  divine  family,  namely,  "  the  redemption  of  our  body." 

The  blessedness  flowing  to  the  people  of  Christ  from  his 
second  coming,  will  not  consist  simply  in  that  which  is  appro- 
priate to  their  sj)iritual  nature,  but  will  include  that  of  which 
a  risen  and  glorified  body  is  at  once  the  subject  and  the  vehicle 
— a  body  reunited  to  the  soul  by  a  bond  which  shall  be  hence- 
forth indestructible.  Hence  we  sorrow  not  for  them  who  are 
fallen  asleep  in  Christ,  because  we  know  that,  absent  from  the 
body,  they  are  present  with  the  Lord,  and  that  the  flesh,  though 
slumbering  in  the  sepulchre,  rests  there  in  sure  and  certain 
hope  of  awaking  again  into  newness  of  life.  We  look  for 
him  to  come  the  second  time,  who  is  able  to  work  the  mighty 
change  described  in  the  text.  The  doctrine  here  taught  is  full 
of  godly  comfort  to  the  disciples  of  Jesus.  There  is,  indeed, 
no  true  happiness  for  us  in  this  vale  of  sorrow,  unless  we  have 


174 

been  tanglit  to  understand,  and  personally  enjoy,  what  we  are 
liere  told  concerning  the  abolition  of  death.  The  monuments 
tliat  bestrew  our  cemeteries,  the  mourners  that  go  about  our 
streets,  the  tolling  bell,  the  habiliments  of  mourning  that  flit 
across  our  path  in  every  direction,  all  admonish  us  that  we  are 
passing  away.  It  matters  not,  my  hearers,  how  much  of  earth's 
honors,  wealth,  or  friendships  we  possess,  there  is  one  ever- 
present  and  overshadowing  cloud  thrown  like  a  pall  over  them 
and  us,  unless  we  are  interested  in  the  salvation  of  Christ. 
Give  me,  above  all  things  else,  the  hope  and  joy  of  him  who 
can  say,  "  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed,"  "  I  know  that 
my  Redeemer  liveth — that  he  will  change  my  vile  body,  and 
fashion  it  like  unto  his  own  glorious  body." 

In  discussing  the  topics  suggested  by  the  text,  we  may 
notice, 

I.  The  snJfject  of  this  chatuje.  It  is  this  body,  here  denomi- 
nated "  vile" — a  term  which  would  not  have  been  applicable 
to  man's  body  when  he  came  fresh  from  the  hand  of  God. 
Then  it  was  "  very  good."  But  when  sin  had  brought  down 
its  blighting  curse  upon  the  transgressor,  and  had  planted  the 
seeds  of  death  all  over  God's  fair  creation,  deformity  took  the 
place  of  beauty,  and  what  had  been  else  immortal  became  the 
prey  of  corruption.  Man's  body,  so  fearfully  and  wonderfully 
made,  the  crowning  work  of  the  Creator,  the  fit  tenement  of  a 
soul  formed  in  the  divine  image,  bore  the  sad  tokens  that  "  sin 
reigned  unto  death."  Henceforth  it  became,  even  in  its  best 
estate,  and  however  beautiful,  a  "  vile  body,"  or  as  the  text 
literally  reads,  "the  body  of  our  humiliation,"  As  it  was  ori- 
ginally formed  of  the  earth,  that  which  now  supports  it  comes 
from  the  earth,  and  it  shall  in  the  end  return  again  to  its  earth. 
Decay  and  dissolution  have  sealed  it  as  their  own. 

J^ut  more  than  this  is  intimated  by  the  words,  "a  vile  body." 
The  name  is  deserved,  because  it  yields  its  members  instru- 
ments of  unrighteousness  unto  sin ;  it  executes  the  behests  of 


1T5 

the  evil  passions  of  a  depraved  heart ;  and  is  itself  the  seat  and 
source  of  many  temptations.  It  is  a  mortal  body,  and  there- 
fore a  "body  of  humiliation."  It  must  be  resolved  into  rotten- 
ness and  dust.  Death  renders  the  fairest  form  loathsome  to  us, 
and  like  Abraham  we  are  forced  to  bury  our  dead,  however 
dearly  loved,  out  of  our  sight.  Compared,  then,  with  wiiat  it 
was  when  it  came  from  the  hand  of  God,  with  what  it  would 
have  continued  to  be  if  sin  had  not  marred  and  ruined  it,  or 
with  what  it  shall  be  when  Christ  shall  re-fashion  it  into  the  like- 
ness of  himself,  it  may  well  be  called  "  a  vile  body,"  "  the 
body  of  our  humiliation,"  its  features  sadly  in  keeping  with 
those  of  its  fallen  and  degraded  inmate,  the  soul.  But  he  who 
regenerates  the  inward  is  able  also  to  recreate  the  outward 
man  into  the  likeness  of  his  own  glorious  body. 

II.  The  Author  of  this  change  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  who 
shall  change  our  vile  body  when  he  comes  from  heaven.  And 
it  is  obviously  fit  and  proper  that  Christ  should  be  the  author 
of  this  transformation.  He  ascended  to  heaven  clothed  in  a 
body  similar  to  ours,  that  in  our  nature  as  well  as  name,  he 
might  take  possession  of  the  purchased  inheritance.  It  is  right 
and  proper  that  He  who  prepared  a  heaven  for  us,  should  also 
prepare  us  for  heaven.  So  we  are  assured  by  himself,  "If  1 
go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again  and  receive 
you  to  myself."  "  Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  "  I 
would  not,"  says  Paul,  "  have  you  to  be  ignorant  concerning 
them  that  are  asleep ;  them  will  God  bring  with  him."  "  All 
who  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him."  He  who  stood 
at  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  and  by  the  simple  words,  "  Come 
forth,"  restored  a  dead  brother  to  the  arms  of  his  mourning 
sisters ;  He  who  at  the  gate  of  Nain,  by  a  simple  touch  of  the 
bier,  gave  back  a  dead  son  to  his  widowed  mother,  is  entitled 
to  say,  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  he  that  believeth 
in  me,  though  he  were  dead  yet  shall  he  live."  He  is  the 
same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever,  and  therefore  we  can  not 


176 

douLt  that  "  the  liour  cometh  when  all  who  are  in  their  craves 
shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  shall  come  forth." 
The  Saviour  and  his  saints  are  one,  in  a  vital  union ;  they  are 
so  closely  connected  that  he  describes  them  as  parts  of  "  his 
body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones,"  and  as  the  head  arose  in 
triumph  from  the  dead,  so  too  must  the  members  arise  from 
that  sepulchral  bed  where  they  now  sleep  in  Jesus.  But  the 
text  not  only  predicts  a  resurrection,  it  also  announces, 

III.  A  change — a  change  in  our  vile  body.  What  is  the 
nature  of  it  ?  I  answer,  that  whatever  it  be,  there  muII  still  be 
a  body.  Perhaps  the  idea  of  the  Apostle  will  be  better  brought 
out  by  rendering  the  words,  "  Who  shall  re-fashion  our  vile 
body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  the  body  of  his  glory." 
In  the  resurrection,  at  the  last  day,  we  shall  not  receive  a  body 
totally  new  and  different  from  the  old.  Substantially  it  will 
be  the  same  body  that  was  committed  to  the  tomb — for  all  the 
purposes  of  grace  and  justice,  the  same  body — but  it  will  be 
transformed  into  the  likeness  of  the  body  of  our  ascended  and 
glorified  Redeemer. 

You  must  not  forget  the  facts  involved  in  the  doctrine  of  the 
Incarnation.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  assumed  our  nature  ;  be- 
coming man,  he  took  our  flesh  and  blood,  and  when  he  went 
into  heaven,  there  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us,  it 
was  in  that  same  humanity  in  which  he  bled  and  died.  The 
man  Christ  Jesus,  who  was  once  laid  in  Joseph's  sepulchre, 
now  stands  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  wearing  the  crown  and 
wielding  the  sceptre  of  universal  dominion.  As  God  he  could 
neither  ascend  nor  descend ;  his  divine  essence  fills  heaven 
and  earth,  and  he  is  incapable  of  the  least  shadow  of  change. 
And,  oh  !  how  rich  a  source  of  consolation  is  it  to  his  people  to 
know  that  he  has  not  laid  aside  their  nature,  but  retains  it 
amid  the  inefl'able  splendors  of  the  heaven  of  heavens.  They 
can  look  up  to  him  in  the  full  confidence  of  his  sympathy,  and 
discover  in  his  exaltation  an  earnest  of  their  own  future  and 
transcendent  glory.    Their  bodies  shall  be  changed,  how  they 


Ill 

can  not  tell,  they  can  hardly  even  imagine ;  only  this  they 
know,  that  they  shall  be  made  like  to  the  glorified  body  which 
their  Saviour  Christ  now  wears  in  heaven.  He  will  so  re- 
fashion them  as  to  bring  them  into  a  resemblance  to  himself. 
Beyond  this  point,  my  brethren,  we  can  not  at  present  go. 
A  veil  of  mystery — 'tis  one  of  the  mysteries  of  grace — hangs 
over  the  subject,  which  no  mortal  man  can  withdraw. 

God  has  been  pleased  to  apprise  us  of  the  fact  that  there 
shall  be  a  change,  that  the  pattern  according  to  which  the  re- 
fashioning shall  be  made  is  Christ's  glorious  body,  and  with 
this  we  must  be  content.  "We  may  perhaps  get  some  dim  idea 
of  the  coming  glory,  from  the  account  of  what  occurred  on  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration,  when  the  countenance  of  Jesus  ap- 
peared more  radiant  than  the  sun,  and  his  raiment  whiter  than 
the  snow,  and  when  the  favored  three  who  beheld  the  august 
scene  in  transport  exclaimed,  "  Let  us  abide  here  forever.'" 
The  clouds  which  had  veiled  the  brightness  of  the  star  of  Beth- 
lehem were  suddenly  opened,  and  Peter,  James,  and  John 
were  permitted  to  gaze  upon  its  full-orbed  splendor.  The 
transfiguration  of  the  Eedeemer  was  effected  in  an  instant  of 
time,  and  thus  shall  his  people  arise  and  put  on  their  beautiful 
garments,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last 
trump ;  so  shall  their  vile  bodies  be  fashioned  like  unto  Christ's 
glorious  body. 

In  that  sublime  argument  on  the  subject  of  the  resurrection, 
in  1  Cor.  15,  the  apostle  sets  forth  the  chief  features  of  this  mar- 
vellous change.  The  body,  which  is  sown  in  corruption,  shall 
be  raised  in  incorruption ;  that  which  is  sown  in  dishonor  shall 
be  raised  in  glory ;  that  which  is  sown  in  weakness  shall  be 
raised  in  power  ;  that  which  is  sown  a  natural  body  shall  be 
raised  a  spiritual  body.  The  body  is  soiv)i,  that  is,  committed 
to  the  earth  like  a  seed.  IIow  striking  and  beautiful  the  image 
here  used  !  The  sowing  in  corruption  not  only  refers  to  the 
literal  corruption  which  awaits  our  mortal  frame,  but  also  to 
12 


178 

the  fact  that  the  body,  as  it  now  is,  tends  to  dissolution.  When 
raised  again  it  will  be  incorruptible,  freed  from  all  tendency  to 
decay,  from  all  those  seeds  of  death  wliich  are  found  in  the 
strongest  of  our  earthly  tabernacles.  Exempt  from  the  acci- 
dents of  time,  from  calamity  in  any  form,  from  thirst  and 
liunger,  it  shall  possess  an  immortal  vigor ;  in  a  word,  mortal- 
ity shall  be  swallowed  up  of  life. 

It  is  sown  in  dishonor.  "We  commit  to  the  grave  the  mortal 
remains  of  those  dear  to  us,  with  tokens  of  sincere  and  tender 
sorrow,  or  it  may  be,  we  employ  martial  pomp  and  pageantry 
to  indicate  our  respect  for  departed  worth  or  greatness ;  but 
amid  the  most  gorgeous  funeral  display,  the  fact  stands  out  be- 
fore us,  that  the  immediate  object  of  these  honors  is  a  "body 
of  humiliation,"  a  body  which  we  are  forced  to  bury  out  of  our 
sight.  It  is,  after  all,  dust  returning  to  dust,  ashes  to  ashes. 
Corruption  has  already  seized  it  as  its  prey,  and  it  will  soon 
say  to  the  worm.  Thou  art  my  brother.  We  put  it  away 
from  us,  that  we  may  not  witness  its  dishonor.  But  it  shall  be 
raised  in  glory,  immortal,  redeemed  forever  from  the  empire 
of  death.  Fashioned  like  unto  Christ's  own  glorious  body,  it 
shall  thus  be  remoulded  after  the  highest,  the  most  honorable, 
the  most  honored  type  of  humanity.  "  It  doth  not  yet  appear 
what  we  shall  be,  but  we  know  that  when  He  shall  appear,  we 
shall  be  like  him."  Well,  then,  might  David  sing,  "  I  shall 
be  satisfied,  when  I  awake,  in  tliy  likeness." 

It  is  sown  in  weakness.  Frailty  is  one  of  the  most  marked 
characteristics  of  our  present  condition.  We  are  crushed 
before  the  moth.  These  poor  bodies  can  be  sustained  only  by 
continual  supplies  of  nourishment  and  rest.  We  are  worms 
of  the  dust.  Ijut  in  the  future  life  we  shall  be  like  the  angels 
that  excel  in  strength.  Here  effort  speedily  brings  on  weari- 
ness, l)ut  in  our  changed  bodies  we  shall  serve  God  day  and 
night  without  cessation  and  without  ftitigue.  We  shall  live 
and  hibor  in  the  might  of  an  unwasting  energy,  with  the  vigor 
of  immortal  youth.     Finally,  we  are  told,  though  it  is  hardly 


1'79 

possible  for  us  now  to  comprehend  the  meaning  of  the  terms,  that 
the  natural  shall  be  changed  into  a  spiritual  body,  since  flesh 
and  blood  can  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God.  We  shall  not 
be  transmuted  into  pure  spirits,  such  as  the  angels ;  we  shall 
still  have  bodies,  but  bodies  freed  from  that  animal  grossness 
and  sluggishness  that  now  belong  to  us — capable,  we  have 
reason  to  believe,  like  the  body  of  the  Saviour,  after  he  had 
risen  from  tlie  dead,  to  pass  through  material  substances  with 
the  utmost  ease,  and  to  move  through  space  with  the  rapidity 
of  light.  All  our  organs  of  sense  shall  be  adapted  to  a  higher 
and  nobler  state  of  being  than  that  in  which  we  now  are,  and 
all  of  them,  instead  of  being  the  ministers  of  temptation,  shall 
be  the  handmaids  of  holiness. 

Such  is  the  nature  of  the  change  which  Christ  shall  effect 
in  the  bodies  of  the  righteous,  at  his  second  coming ;  they  will 
be  in  every  respect  adapted  to  perform  the  duties,  and  to  share 
in  the  enjoyments  belonging  to  that  heavenly  world,  in  which 
they  shall  dwell  forever.  They  shall  be  capable  of  sustaining 
the  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory.  Then  all  will  be. 
beauty,  all  will  be  love;  sorrow  and  sighing,  disorder  and 
death  shall  have  forever  fled,  and  the  spiritual  body  in  its  in- 
corruption,  its  glory,  and  its  power  shall  be  a  fit  instrument  in 
all  its  exercises,  a  meet  companion  as  it  travels  along  the  path- 
way of  endless  blessedness.  Oh  !  what  a  change  this  shall  be. 
Language  can  not  describe  it,  imagination  can  not  conceive  it ; 
we  only  know  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory. 

lY.  By  what  power  shall  this  change  be  effected?  How 
shall  it  be  accomplished  ?  AVhat  pledge  is  given  to  us  that 
hopes  so  grand  as  these  shall  be  realized?  Do  they  repose 
upon  a  solid  foundation  ?  or  is  it  among  the  things  incredible 
that  God  should  raise  the  dead  ?  There  is  room  for  neither 
doubt  nor  speculation.  What  Christ  Aath  done,  he  can  do 
again.  In  the  days  of  his .  flesh  he  showed  the  working  of 
that  mighty  power  by  which  he  can  and  will  subdue  all  things 


180 

unto  himself.  By  a  word  lie  recalled  the  dead  to  life.  "When 
he  himself  came  back  from  the  sepnlchrc,  in  which,  with  his 
lifeless  body,  the  hopes  of  his  faint-hearted  disciples  were  for 
the  time  buried,  the  graves  of  many  saints  who  had  been  long 
asleep,  were  opened,  and  their  occupants  came  forth  and  ap- 
peared unto  many,  the  pledges  of  the  Redeemer's  omnipotence, 
the  proofs  of  his  complete  victory  over  death  and  hell.  It  was 
a  visible  token  that  he  who  died  upon  the  cross  had  ransomed 
the  bodies  as  well  as  the  souls  of  his  people.  The  resurrection 
of  the  body  is  attributed  to  the  power  which  governs  all 
things,  and  nothing  less  than  the  energy  which  at  first  pro- 
duced the  human  body,  can  restore  it  from  its  present  lapsed 
and  degraded  condition  to  the  glory  with  which  it  was  origin- 
ally clothed.  He  who  created  it,  can  with  infinite  ease  re- 
create it,  and  re-fashion  those  elements  which  constitute  its 
essence,  so  that  while  changed  from  vileness  to  honor,  from 
the  natural  to  the  spiritual,  its  identity  shall  remain.  I  see 
the  working  of  this  mighty  power  in  the  world  of  nature  and 
of  providence  around  me.  I  behold  the  operation  of  the  same 
omnipotence  in  the  kingdom  of  grace,  in  the  calling  of  guilty 
men  from  the  death  of  sin  to  the  life  of  holiness.  "  You  hath 
he  quickened  who  were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins."  By  his 
word  and  Spirit  the  soul  is  raised  from  the  grave  of  a  darker 
and  more  loathsome  corruption  than  that  to  which  the  body 
turns,  and  breathes  into  it  a  new  and  divine  life.  Here,  in  this 
assembly,  there  are  monuments  of  this  omnipotence  and  grace. 
Here  are  living  witnesses  to  the  truth  that  God  can  and  does 
transform  the  once  dead  soul  into  the  image  of  his  Son.  And 
he  can  as  easily  change  our  vile  body  into  the  likeness  of  the 
glorious  body  of  Christ.  Faithful  is  he  who  hath  promised. 
How  he  will  accomplish  it,  gives  me  no  concern ;  enough  that 
He  who  has  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth  is  pledged  to  do 
it.  Xor  has  he  left  us  without  a  witness  of  his  power.  If  I 
had  never  seen  the  death  of  winter  succeeded  by  the  manifold 
life  of  spring ;  if  I  had  never  seen  the  seemingly  dead  seed 


181 

burst  forth  from  beneath  the  soil  into  "  the  blade,  the  ear,  the 
full  corn  in  the  ear ;"  if  I  knew  nothing  of  my  own  body,  so 
fearfully  and  wonderfully  made,  I  might  look  forward  to  the 
grave  as  the  extinction  of  man.  But  now  I  know  that  my  Ee- 
deemer  liveth,  and  that  when  he  comes  the  second  time,  he 
will  raise  and  re-fashion  the  dust  of  all  those  who  sleep  in 
him. 

The  doctrine  of  the  text  is  full  of  the  most  precious  and 
practical  lessons.  It  shows  us  how  infinite  are  our  obligations 
to  the  Son  of  God  who  humbled  himself  to  assume  our  nature, 
and  in  that  nature  triumphed  over  death  and  hell.  To  him 
we  are  indebted  for  all  the  glorious  hopes  which  belong  to 
saints.  Let  faith  then  ascend  the  mount  of  promise,  and  across 
the  swelling  Jordan  of  death,  she  will  discover  not  only  the 
green  fields  of  a  goodly  land,  but  a  land  peopled  with  the 
myriads  of  the  redeemed.  Hail  happy  day  when  soul  and 
body  shall  be  reiinited  in  a  bliss  exalted,  endless,  and  perfectly 
adapted  to  the  capacities  of  each !  Among  the  primitive 
Christians,  the  thought  of  this  consummation  was  the  source" 
of  perpetual  joy  ;  they  lived  under  the  powers  of  the  world  to 
come ;  they  felt  that  earth  was  not  their  home,  and  while  using 
the  things  seen  and  temporal,  their  hearts  cleaved  to  those  un- 
seen and  eternal.  And  here  was  the  secret  of  that  strength 
which  enabled  them  to  brave  the  terrors  of  martyrdom  for  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

This  subject  supplies  an  antidote  against  the  fear  of  death. 
What  is  it  to  die,  in  the  case  of  those  who  are  in  Christ  ?  It 
is  to  be  unclothed  that  we  may  be  clothed  upon — that  mortal- 
ity may  be  swallowed  up  of  life.  To  die  is  a  necessary  con- 
dition of  the  change  of  our  vile  body  into  a  glorious  one. 
A  grain  of  wheat  is  not  quickened  except  it  die ;  and  so  we 
die  that  we  may  liye  for  evermore. 

Corruption,  worms,  and  earth 

Shall  but  refine  this  flesh 
Till  my  triumphant  spirit  comes 

To  put  it  on  afresh. 


182 

And  oh  !  what  comfort  does  this  subject  afford  to  those  who 
are  mourning  the  loss  of  loved  ones  in  Christ!  We  lose  much 
when  we  lose  a  parent,  a  husband,  a  wife,  a  child,  a  friend  ; 
and  if  Jesus  himself  wept  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  so  maj  we 
when  death  removes  from  our  sight  those  dear  to  us.  Our 
Lord  has  not  only  sanctioned,  but  consecrated  the  mourner's 
tears.  But  we  should  not  weep  as  those  who  have  no  hope, 
when  it  is  for  those  who  sleep  in  Jesus.  Our  friends  are  not 
lost,  they  are  only  gone  before  us  to  the  better  country ;  they 
live  a  nobler  life  than  we ;  they  have  run  the  race,  and  have 
won  the  crown  ;  and  we  commit  their  bodies  to  the  tomb  in 
sure  and  certain  hope  of  resurrection  to  life  eternal.  Their 
precious  dust  reposes  there  under  the  Redeemer's  constant 
care  and  watch,  and  in  due  time  it  shall  awake  in  his  own  glo- 
rious image. 

This  doctrine  should  prompt  us  to  obey  the  exhortation  of 
the  Apostle,  "  to  glorify  God  with  our  bodies,"  with  all  our 
physical  as  well  as  our  intellectual  powers.  "  Know  ye  not," 
says  Paul,  "  that  your  bodies  are  the  temples  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  ?"  Knowing  this,  we  should  purify  ourselves  as  Christ 
is  pure,  cleansing  ourselves  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and 
spirit,  perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God.  We  ought  not 
to  allow  our  bodies  to  be  used  as  instruments  of  unrighteous- 
ness unto  sin.  Let  us  remember  their  high  destiny.  A  won- 
drous change  awaits  us  poor  worms  of  the  dust.  These  eyes 
shall  behold  the  King  in  his  beauty.  These  very  feet  shall 
tread  the  golden  pavement  of  the  holy  city,  the  New  Jerusa- 
lem. These  very  voices  shall  help  to  swell  the  everlasting 
anthems  of  heaven.  Seeing  ye  look  for  such  things,  what 
manner  of  persons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy  conversation  and 
godliness !  But  what  can  I  say  to  those  in  this  assembly  who 
are  not  in  Christ,  and  who  have  no  hope  of  a  "  better  resur- 
rection?" Tliis  doctrine  ministers  legitimate  comfort  only  to 
those  who  have  embraced  Christ  as  their  Saviour,  and  have 
fled  to  him  as  their  only  refuge.     This,  like  every  other  doc- 


1 


183 

trine  of  God's  word,  resembles  the  pillar  that  led  Israel  out  of 
Egypt  to  the  promised  land  ;  it  has  a  bright  side  towards  God's 
people,  and  a  dark  side  towards  his  foes.  If  we  would  have  a 
share  in  the  promised  glories  of  the  Saviour's  second  coming,  we 
must  now  obey  the  Saviour's  gracious  call ;  we  must  cordially 
accept  his  proffered  mercy,  and  fighting  the  good  fight  of  faith, 
lay  hold  of  eternal  life.  You  know  that  you  must  die,  Tou 
lay  out  the  dead  body  of  your  friend  with  devout  decency,  you 
invite  others  to  share  in  the  funeral  solemnities,  you  slowly 
bear  the  corpse  to  the  cemetery,  and  gently  lay  it  down  in  the 
narrow  house,  you  garnish  the  spot  where  it  rests.  What  do 
you  mean  by  all  this  ?  You  testify  your  belief  that  this  body 
shall  live  again.  You  look  forward  to  the  day  of  your  decease ; 
I  charge  you,  before  God  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  at  his 
coming  that  you  also  look  forward  to  the  day  of  your  resurrec- 
tion. You  make  provision  for  the  resting-place  of  the  body ;  I 
charge  you  that  you  provide  for  the  hour  when  that  dead  body 
shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  shall  come  forth. 
Oh !  that  it  may  be  unto  the  resurrection  of  life  eternal. 


APPENDIX. 


S  E  E,  M  O  N 


PREACHED   AT  THE 


INSTALLATION  OF  DR.  POLHEMUS 

AS   PASTOR   OF   THE   NORTH   DUTCH   CHURCH   OF   NEWARK, 

May  3d,  1857, 

BT 

REV.  D.  H.  RIDDLE,   D.D., 

OF  JERSEY  CITY. 


i 


SERMON 


THE    SECRET    OF    MINISTERIAL    POWER. 

"The  life  which  I  now  Hve  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God, 
who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me."— Gal.  2  :  20. 

We  are  instinctively  disposed  to  investigate  witli  special 
interest  any  thing  new,  extraordinary,  or  mysterious.  A 
startling  event,  for  example,  a  singular  natural  phenomenon  ; 
an  extraordinary  course  of  conduct,  or  a  life  of  singular  inci- 
dents and  peculiar  developments.  On  this  principle,  "the 
life  which"  the  apostle  Paul  "  lived  in  the  flesh."  after  his  con- 
version, is  intensely  interesting.  "We  naturally  ask,  how  and 
why  was  it  ?  What  is  the  philosophy  of  it  ?  This  passage 
gives  us  just  what  we  desire  to  know.  It  gives  us  the  secret 
of  his  life,  and  taking  Paul  as  a  representative  man,  the  secret 
also  of  ministerial  power  in  every  age. 

"The  life  which  I  no2v  live  in  the  flesh."  There  is  special 
emphasis  to  be  given  to  the  term,  "  now,"  It  carries  us  back 
to  a  former  life.  It  was  not  always  so.  The  life  he  once  lived 
in  the  flesh  was  very  diff'erent.  It  was  such  a  life  as  multi- 
tudes are  living  every  where  around  us :  "  walking  in  a  vain 
show,"  "  disquieted  in  vain ;"  "  according  to  the  course  of 
this  world,"  "fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  the  mind;" 
their  sensual  or  intellectual  or  aesthetic  preferences  governed 
by  the  current  maxims, .  prevalent  fashions,  or  ruling  mania 
of  the  age.     Yes,  Paul  once  lived,  as  many  of  our  bright  and 


190 

gifted  young  men  are  doing,  "  unto  himself."    He  "  loved  the 
praise  of  men ;"  coveted  "  the  honor  that  cometh  from  man  ;" 
prided  himself  in  his  genius,  acquisitions,  family,  and  Phari- 
seeism.     If  not  covetous  of  gold,  as  probably  he  was  above 
"  that  vile  idolatry,"  yet  he  had  been  of  that  more  elevated 
and  alluring,  but  not  less  damning  form  of  it — Fame,  the  ruin 
in  every  age  of  so  many  of  the  strongest  of  our  race,  "  the 
last  infirmity,"  as  one  terms  it,  "  of  great  minds."     But  "  now'' 
"  after  it  pleased  God  to  reveal  his  Son  in  him,"  he  was  dead 
to  all  this  ;  alike  to  the  power  of  selfishness  and  the  pleadings 
of  ambition  ;  the  world's  opinion,  the  maxims  current  around 
him,  tlie  fashions,  follies,  and  fame  of  this  world — yea,  his  own 
previously  strongest  prejudices  and  passions.     For  Christ  and 
the  Gospel's  sake,  he  became  "  as  the  offscouring  of  all  things." 
Henceforth,  toil,  shame,  self-denial,  and  reproach  were  his 
portion  and  glory.     From  that  period  his  after  "  life  in  the 
flesh"  was  brief,  but  bright  and  glorious.     In  about  twenty-five 
years  he  travelled  over  almost  the  whole  of  the  then  known 
world— made  a  wider  circuit  of  benevolence,  as  a  herald  of 
salvation,   than   Alexander's   of   unhallowed   ambition.     He 
passed  through  every  species  of  suffering  ;  was  afflicted  with 
every  thing  that  could  lacerate  a  generous  nature  ;  wore  him- 
self out  in  labors,  generally  thankless,  and  always  unrequited ; 
was  stoned,  scourged,  shipwrecked,  deserted,  and  at  last  laid 
himself  down  to  die  an  ignominious  death,  like  the  dying  gla- 
diators, to  give  a  Eoman  rabble  a  holiday ! 

This  life  is  a  phenomenon,  a  glorious  fact,  a  marvel.  He 
tells  us  how  it  was.  It  was  "  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God," 
lie  says,  "  who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me."  Paul's 
life  in  the  flesh  gives  us  the  secret  of  ministerial  power  and  a 
model  for  ministerial  imitation.     It  embraces  four  elements  : 

I.  An  abiding  realization  of  the  personal  existence  of  Jesus 
Christ,  "  the  Son  of  God." 

II.  Of  his  living  and  perpetual  presence. 

III.  Of  his  indwelling  and  inworking  power. 


191 


TV.  Of  his  personal  and  infinite  love. 
Let  ns  look  at  these  as  elements  of  ministerial  power  in 
every  age. 

I.  "  The  faith  of  the  Son  of  God"  includes  an  abiding  real- 
ization of  Ms  perso7ial  existence.    The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  not 
a  mythical  being,  a  mere  character,  drawn  by  the  hand  of 
o-enins,  from  materials  furnished  by  imagination,  history,  and 
observation ;  not  an  aggregation  of  excellencies,  without  an 
original — a  mere  ideal.     Xo  !     "  The  Son  of  God"  is  a  living 
reality.     He  was  the  life  of  the  universe,  "  visible  and  invisi- 
ble," "  before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,"  before  angel, 
earth,  or  man  existed.     "  Before  Abraham,"  he  says,  "  I  am." 
In  the  past  eternity  He  "  dwelt  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  ;'' 
was  "  the  Word  of  God,  in  the  beginning,"  ''  from  everlasting." 
"  In  the  fullness  of  time"  he  "  became  flesh."     By  incarnation 
he  embodied  and  represented  the  Infinite  and  Eternal ;  in  ac- 
tual and  visible  humanity,  "  the  glorious  brightness  and  express 
image  of  God's  essence  ;"  in  the  veritable  Jesus  of  Xazareth, 
the  Son  of  Mary,  he  suffered  in  the  flesli  for  the  sins  of  men  ; 
he  died  on  the  cross,  was  buried,  rose  again,  and  ascended  to 
the  right  hand  of  God,  where  he  "  liveth  again"  and  forever, 
in  a  true  and  proper  personality,  "  the  Son  of  God."     Such,  to 
the  faith  of  Paul,  was  "  the  Son  of  God  ;"  not  tlie  fancy  or 
memory  of  excellencies  which  had  never  existed,  or  were  em- 
bodied only  for  a  season  in  an  actual  character,  but  all  that  he 
manifested  himself  to  be  on  earth,  of  infinite  power,  wisdom, 
compassion,  and  holiness,  still  existing  in  a  real  person  ;  one 
as  actual  as  material  nature ;  as  capable  of  influencing  and 
exercising  the  mind  and  heart,  in  its  motives,  hopes,  fears,  and 
joys,  as  the  objects  of  sight,  or  intellect,  or  personal  friendship. 
To  him,  indeed,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  the  great  reality  of 
existence,   the  very  key-stone  of  the  universe,  material  and 
mental,  the  Person  who  gave  it  being  and  continuance.     "  The 
Son  of  God,"  to  the  Apostle,  was  "  all  in  all,"  "  head  over  all 


192 

things."  He  believed  in  Jesus  Christ,  "  God  manifest  in  the 
flesh,"  as  he  believed  in  "  God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of 
heaven  and  earth." 

This  "  faith  of  the  Son  of  God"  was  the  element,  substance, 
and  speciality  of  "  the  life  he  lived  in  the  flesh."  He  gathered 
up  and  concentrated  in  this  Person  all  he  knew  and  believed 
and  hoped  concerning  God. 

Except  on  this  philosophy  of  faith,  living  faith,  in  a  living 
Saviour,  the  life  Paul  lived  in  the  flesh  and  the  power  he  ex- 
erted is  utterly  inexplicable.  "  The  name  of  Jesus,  through 
faith  in  that  name,"  the  fact  fii-st,  and  then  the  full  realization 
of  it  in  the  heart,  solves  the  mystery.  The  life  of  a  Christian 
and  the  power  of  a  minister,  in  every  age,  depends  on  this 
same  faith.  For,  after  all,  "  this  is  the  victory  over  the  world, 
even  your  faith.  Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the  world?" 
Who  has  power  in  the  closet,  the  pulpit,  the  parlor,  "  but  he 
that  believeth  that  Jesus  is  come  in  the  flesh?"  faith  in  "Im- 
manuel,"  "  God  with  us."  Yes.  The  faith  that  gives  reality 
to  piety  and  power  to  a  minister,  is  not  the  faith  of  the  incom- 
prehensible and  infinite  merely,  the  faith  of  theists — yea,  of 
devils  too — but  the  faith  of  the  incarnate,  "  the  faith  of  the 
Son  of  God."  "  We  believe  in  God."  Well,  as  far  as  it  goes. 
So  did  the  Jews  ;  so  do  philosophers.  "  Believe  also  in  me," 
says  the  great  Teacher.  This  is  Christianity  as  a  life  in  the 
soul ;  "  the  faith  of  God's  elect"  in  every  age  ;  "  the  fiiitli  of 
the  Son  of  God."  This  is  the  power  of  the  Christian  minister ; 
the  steadfast  realization,  without  faltering,  of  a  living  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ;  "  a  lamb  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  ;"  a  brother 
man  at  the  centre  of  power.  If  this  is  not  so  ;  if  "  the  Son  of 
God"  is  not  risen,  living,  reigning ;  if  there  is  no  real  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  "  then  our  preaching  is  vain  and  your  faith  is 
vain  ;"  Paul's  life  was  a  farce — ^}^ea,  all  is  but  a  dream. 

n.  "  The  faith  of  the  Son  of  God"  includes  an  abiding  real- 
ization oihis  living  presence.    We  do  not  mean  a  visible,  nor, 


193 

in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  term,  a  material  pre- 
sence ;  not  a  presence  cognizable  by  the  senses,  or  possible  to 
mere  intellect;  but  still,  ureal  presence — a  presence  as  capable 
of  affecting  the  heart,  rousing  its  energies,  and  giving  direc- 
tion to  its  preferences  and  passions,  as  that  of  visible  and  tan- 
gible things  ;  real  as  Niagara,  the  ocean,  the  everlasting  hills, 
yea,  more  so.  The  seen  are  the  unsubstantial ;  the  unseen  are 
the  real.  To  Paul's  mind  and  heart,  there  was  substance, 
abidingness,  infinite  grounds  of  conviction  in  "  things  not 
seen,"  and  the  greatest  of  all  these  invisibilities  was  "  the  Son 
of  God,"  "  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Paul's  faith  made  substan- 
tial the  promise  given  by  Christ,  as  he  was  about  to  hide  him- 
self from  bodily  view  and  vision,  in  the  glory  of  the  all-em- 
bracing spiritual  world.  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always."  Thi^' 
is  a  pledge  of  perpetual,  personal,  spiritual  presence.  Paul's 
faith  brought  this  home  to  his  soul's  abiding  convictions  and 
deepest  affections.  He  endured  just  as  if  he  saw  Him  always, 
as  he  saw  Him  once,  actually.  "The  Lord"  was  always  "  be- 
fore him,  at  his  right  hand."  He  apprehended  "the  Son  of 
God,"  not  as  afar  off,  but  as  "  with  him,"  yea,  "  in  him."  He 
said,  "  not  in  his  heart,  who  shall  go  up  into  heaven,  to  bring 
Christ  down,  or  who  shall  descend  into  the  deep,  to  bring  up 
Christ  from  the  dead,"  as  too  many  of  us,  Christians  and  min- 
isters, do.  But  "  the  word  of  faith,"  which  he  preached  to 
others,  and  the  exercise  of  faith,  which  explains  his  life  in  the 
flesh,  had  reference  to  what  was  nigh.  "  The  Son  of  God,"  to 
Paul,  was  like  the  sounds  which  vibrate  to  our  soul's  depths, 
uttered  by  the  human  voice,  or  the  emotions  of  which  we  are 
conscious  as  they  thrill  through  our  hearts ;  "  a  living  pre- 
sence," not  such  as  the  poet  and  the  Pantheist  speak  of,  but  of 
a  personal  being,  "  the  Son  of  God,"  with  all  the  power,  know- 
ledge, and  sympathy  manifested  during  his  incarnation,  and 
now  "crowned  with  glory  and  power,"  "King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords."  Paul  felt  the  power  of  this  living  presence 
13 


194 

of  his  Lord  every  where  he  went,  and  whatever  he  suflPered  : 
in  the  dungeon  ;  on  the  deep  ;  buiFeted,  stoned,  shipwrecked  ; 
amidst  perils  from  his  enemies,  and  severer  "  perils  from  false 
brethren  ;"  when  tarrying  at  Jerusalem ;  when  "  caught  up 
into  Paradise  ;"  when  abiding  a  little  season  at  his  own  loved 
native  Tarsus,  the  home  of  his  childhood,  amidst  the  scenes 
and  memories  of  his  youth  ;  or  travelling  through  the  ancient 
cities  of  Asia  Minor,  the  barren  sands  of  Scythia,  the  magnifi- 
cent glories  of  ancient  Tyre  ;  standing  on  Mars  Hill ;  preach- 
ing at  Rome  ;  pleading  with  Gentiles,  or  his  "  own  brethren 
according  to  the  flesh  ;"  arraigned  before  TSTero  ;  lone  and  for- 
saken of  all  friends  ;  all  through  life  in  sight  of  the  scaffold  ; 
in  the  article  and  agony  of  an  ignominious  death  ;  every  where 
and  at  all  times  "  the  Son  of  God,"  the  personal  Eedeemer, 
was  to  him  a  living  presence,  real  as  the  mountains  and  the 
sea,  the  prison  and  the  palace. 

This  explains,  and  this  alone  can  explain  satisfactorily,  the 
phenomenon  of  "  the  life  that  Paul  lived  in  the  flesh,"  the 
personal  presence  of  a  personal  Saviour  and  Lord.  First,  as 
a  glorious  objective  reality,  and  then  made  substantial  and 
evident  to  his  soul  by  faith.  The  presence  of  Christ,  through 
faith  in  that  presence,  explains  the  mystery.  "At  my  answer," 
he  says,  "  all  men  forsook  me."  This  seems  the  acme  ot  soli- 
tude. "  Nevertheless  the  Lord  stood  with  me."  What  cared 
he  for  desertion  ? 

This  is  the  secret  of  ministerial  power  :  to  know,  and  feel, 
and  make  real  by  faith,  the  living  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ; 
to  hear  him,  who  has  "  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth,"  saying, 
"  Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee ;  be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  thy 
God  :  I  will  help  thee,  I  will  strengthen  ;  yea,  I  will  uphold 
thee  by  the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness :"  to  be  able  to 
say,  without  faltering  and  in  faith,  "  Thou  art  with  me,"  who- 
ever else  befriends  or  opposes,  is  faithful  or  false,  stands  by  or 
forsakes. 


195 

III.  The  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  includes,  again,  the  assur- 
ance of  the  indwelling  and  inworking  power  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  This  is  something  incomprehensible  to  the  merely 
intellectual  man.  It  is  a  mystery  too  deep  and  high  for 
"  flesh  and  blood."  But  in  the  heart  and  life  of  Paul  it  was  a 
blessed  experimental  reality,  an  indispensable  element  of  his 
faith,  without  which  he  never  could  have  lived  the  life  he  did 
in  the  flesh.  "  I  am  crucified  along  with  Christ,"  he  says.  As 
if  he  said,  by  the  irradiations  thrown  from  the  cross  over  all 
earthly  things,  all  the  prospects  by  which  men  are  usually 
influenced,  and  by  which  my  heart  once  was  stirred,  they  have 
been  nullified,  have  lost  all  their  power.  The  ordinary  mo- 
tives to  human  action  and  ambition  are  all  gone.  I  have  how 
a  heart  no  longer  for  such  poor,  worthless,  insignificant  objects 
as  the  riches,  honors,  and  pleasures  of  this  world.  Seen  in 
the  light  of  the  cross,  seen  as  it  is,  "  the  world  is  crucified  to 
me,  and  I  to  the  world."  Were  this  all,  were  it  "  all  of  life 
to  live"  here,  there  is  nothing  left  strong  enough  to  rouse  or 
permanent  enough  to  sustain  me  :  but  it  is  not  all.  "  N^ever- 
theless  I  live  :"  I  find  something,  notwithstanding,  to  give  life 
to  my  soul ;  to  infuse  energy  into  my  conduct ;  to  give  me  an 
object  for  my  heart's  noblest  afii'ections,  and  a  work  for  the 
whole  of  my  earthly  pilgrimage  and  activities.  Yes !  We 
acknowledge  this  life  is  a  mystery.  So  did  Paul.  "  It  is  not  I," 
he  says,  my  former  self;  not  the  Panl  who  once  courted  fame, 
distinction,  self-glorification  ;  not  the  old  Ego  ;  "  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me."  His  life  is  the  source,  the  secret,  the 
support  of  mine.  He  is  my  life  ;  "  the  life  I  live  now  in  the 
flesh  ;"  "  my  strength  to  sufi*er  and  my  will  to  serve  ;  my  high 
endeavor  and  my  glad  success :"  all  are  from  Him.  I  am 
"  not  sufficient,  as  of  myself,"  for  any  thing,  even  the  least. 
But  "  I  can  do  all  things,"  even  the  greatest,  "  through  Christ 
which  strengtheneth  me." 

This  is  Paul's  explanation  of  the  life  he  lived.  He  was,  did, 
suffered,  accomplished  all,  because  Christ  was  in  him,  a  glori- 


10(3 

ous  element  of  spiritual  life,  and  he  was  "  in  Christ  Jesus"  a 
new  creature,  a  being  of  consciously  new  hopes,  joys,  fears, 
and  prospects ;  surrounded  by  new  interests,  yea,  a  world  of 
life  and  motive  before  unknown  and  unfelt ;  the  "  world  witliin 
the  veil ;"  "  the  power  of  the  world  to  come."  Dead  to  all 
former  sources  of  life,  joy,  and  activity,  nevertheless  he  lived 
another,  nobler,  worthier  life,  "by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God 
who  loved  him  and  gave  himself  for  him."  For  him  "  to  live 
was  Christ."  It  was  his  joy  to  labor,  his  glory  to  suffer,  and, 
if  need  be,  to  die  for  Christ.  As  the  crown  and  consummation 
of  this  life,  he  did  at  last  die  for  his  dear  Lord.  Hear  his 
death-song :  "  Xow  I  am  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of 
my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  finished  my  course.  I  have 
fought  the  good  fight.  I  have  kept  the  faith.  Henceforth 
there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the 
Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  will  give  me  in  that  day."  Yes, 
*'  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,"  which  explained  his  life,  gave 
peace,  and  triumph,  and  glory  to  his  death.  He  could  say  : 
"  O  death  !  where  is  thy  sting  (  O  grave  !  where  is  thy  vic- 
tory ?  Thanks  be  unto  God,  who  giveth  us  the  victory, 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

This  is  power  ;  "  the  power  of  God  to  usward  who  believe ;" 
the  power  that  wrought  in  Paul  mightily.  "  Christ  in  us"  is 
not  only  "the  hope  of  glory"  to  the  Christian  personally,  but 
the  source  and  secret  of  all  true  ministerial  power. 

IV.  "  The  faith  of  the  Son  of  God"  includes,  lastly,  an  abid- 
ing realization  of  his  love  in  its  personal  cqyjjlicatlon  and  won- 
derful manifestation.  "The  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,"  me, 
as  an  individual  and  with  a  pei-sonal  affection,  "and  who  gave 
himself  for  me,"  proved  this  personal  and  unparalleled  affec- 
tion by  dying  in  my  stead  and  for  my  benefit  the  death  of  the 
cross.  This  is  the  grand  element  of  the  life  of  faith  and  oi' 
the  power  of  the  Apostle.  "The  love  of  Christ  constrained 
him." 


197 

Paul,  as  we  liave  already  intimated,  believed  in  the  preex- 
istence  of  the  eternal  word  :  "  before  the  mountains  were 
brought  forth,"  "  from  everlasting."  He  believed  that  "  by 
Him  all  things  were  created,  visible  and  invisible,  thrones, 
dominions,  principalities,  and  powers,  and  by  Him  all  things 
consist,"  are  kept  in  existence.  By  allying  Himself  to  our 
humanity  and  taking  our  place  in  the  transaction  of  the  atone- 
ment, He  lost  nothing  of  this  original,  uncreated  glory  and 
excellence ;  He  only  held  it  in  abeyance  "  a  little  while." 
Now,  conceive  of  the  personal  affection  of  such  a  Being  as 
this ;  so  great  and  glorious ;  "  Lord  of  angels,"  proprietor  of 
the  universe,  "  heir  of  all  things,"  only-begotten  and  well-be- 
loved of  the  Father,  as  Paul's  expression  indicates.  To  snatch 
him  from  deep-deserved,  eternal  destruction,  his  Lord  and  Sav- 
iour took  his  place,  gave  himself  in  his  stead  to  shame, 
reproach,  suffering,  and  ignominy ;  died  that  he  might  not 
die,  but  live  and  reign  with  him  forever.  This  was  a  love 
which  was  immeasurable  every  way.  "  It  passeth  knowledge," 
unparalleled  and  unapproachable.  And  this  love  was  mani- 
fested to  one  so  consciously  worthless  and  utterly  incapable  of 
any  adequate  returu.  The  vivid  realization  and  appropriation 
of  this  love,  this  personal  affection  and  infinite  kindness 
of  the  Son  of  God,  towards  him  and  in  his  behalf,  made  pal- 
pable and  kept  before  him  by  the  cross,  made  Paul  what  he 
was  ;  explains  "  the  life  he  lived  in  the  flesh."  He  acted  un- 
der the  power  of  a  sweet  and  generous  compulsion.  He  could 
not,  in  a  sense,  do  otherwise.  He  thus  judged :  if  He  died  for 
me,  should  I  not  die  also  ?  IS'ot  only  I  should  not,  but  can  not 
live  unto  myself  now — for  my  own  pleasure,  glory,  or  aggran- 
dizement, but  unto  Him  who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for 
me.  The  ever-present  sense  of  this  love — an  appreciation  of 
it,  deepening  with  increasing  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  fuller 
comprehension  of  its  height,  and  depth,  and  length,  and 
breadth — entered  as  a  living  element  into  the  faith  of  the 
Apostle.     This  sustained  him,  when  else  he  would  have  sunk. 


198 

This  roused  him,  when  otherwise  he  would  have  fainted. 
When,  for  example,  the  unreasonableness,  or  wickedness, 
ignorance,  pride,  or  self-sufficiency  of  men  would  have  wearied 
his  patience  and  worn  out  his  zeal,  the  thought  of  this  love  of 
Christ — this  unsolicited,  undeserved,  amazing,  infinite  love, 
reanimated  his  soul,  and  put  new  vigor  into  his  otherwise 
exhausted  energies.  What  if  men,  ho  would  say,  hate  or 
despise  me.  He  loved  and  loves  me  still.  He  who  was '  so 
great,  loved  me,  so  worthless  and  insignificant ;  loved  me  with 
a  costly  affection  ;  "  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me."  And 
shall  I  not  live,  labor,  pray  for,  suff'er  for  others  ?  Should  I 
not  die,  or  wear  out,  if  this  would  be  the  means  of  their  sal- 
vation ?  When  the  flesli  pleaded  for  repose  or  enjoyment ; 
when  taste  urged  its  pleas  for  gratification  ;  when  "  the  pride 
of  life"  poured  its  strong  tides  of  fascination  around  him  ; 
when  "  the  love  of  many  waxed  cold,"  and  there  was  nothing 
visible  to  inspire,  or  earthly  to  recompense  him,  then  his  eye 
of  faith  and  affection  turned  again  and  rested  on  the  cross ; 
he  grasped  once  more  the  demonstration  of  the  untiring,  invin- 
cible love  of  Christ,  "  stronger  than  death,"  that  "  many  wa- 
ters could  not  quench,"  triumphant  over  ingratitude  and 
malice ;  and  then  the  pulse  of  love  in  his  soul  towards  others 
was  quickened  into  new  energy,  and  brought  forth  new  and 
beautiful  results  in  his  life.  This  was  the  secret  of  all  that 
wonderful  life  of  untiring,  unselfish  beneficence.  "  The  Son 
of  God  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me."  This  love  of 
Christ,  shed  abroad  in  the  heart,  pervading  all  its  passions, 
constituting  its  life,  accounts  for  every  thing  peculiar  in  the 
character  and  conduct  of  the  Apostle.  This,  too,  is  the  secret 
life  of  eminent  Christians,  ministers,  missionaries,  martyrs, 
in  every  age— the  constraining  love  of  Christ,  brought  home 
personally,  as  by  Paul,  "who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for 
me."  What  ought  not,  what  can  not  such  love,  fnlly  realized, 
enable  us  to  do  or  endure  ? 


199 

"  Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 
Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all." 

The  love  of  Christ  is  tlie  very  blood  of  the  life  of  faith. 

Such  is  the  philosophy  of  the  life  of  Paul — "  the  life  which 
he  lived  in  the  flesh"  after  his  conversion.  It  was  "  by  the 
faith  of  the  Son  of  God ;"  his  personal  existence,  living  pre- 
sence, inworking  power,  and  infinite  love.  Such  was  the 
power  of  Christianity,  exemplified  in  one  of  like  passions  with 
others,  yea,  who  was  once  "  a  persecutor,  a  blasphemer,  and 
injurious." 

Is  such  a  life  impossible,  unattainable  now  ?  Might  we  not, 
ought  we  not,  to  be  ministers  after  the  model  of  Paul  ?  Is 
piety  and  ministerial  power  a  thing  of  centuries  or  geography  ? 
or,  like  its  great  Author,  "  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for- 
ever ?"  Do  not  all  the  truths  and  facts  on  which  Paul's  life 
was  based,  and  by  which  it  is  explained,  hold  equally  good 
now,  as  eighteen  centuries  ago,  when  he  was  sustained,  ani- 
mated, and  transformed  by  them?  Is  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  living  yet  ?  Does  not  he  still  promise  his  real  per- 
sonal presence  to  us,  the  successors  of  the  Apostles — to  each 
and  all  of  us,  "  always,  to  the  end  of  the  world  ?"  Is  not  his 
indwelling  and  inworking  power  exhaustless  and  immutable  ? 
Does  not  his  infinite  love  appeal  with  undiminished  tender- 
ness and  power  to  every  princij)le  of  generosity  and  gratitude 
in  our  hearts  ?  May  not  each  of  us  say,  as  truly  as  Paul, 
"  who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me"  ?  Oh  !  if  our  faith 
only  took  hold,  as  his  did,  of  a  living  personal  object ;  if  we 
vividly  felt,  as  Paul,  the  living  presence  of  an  invisible  Sav- 
iour, and  apprehended  and  experienced  his  indwelling  and 
inworking  energy  and  the  power  of  that  infinite  love  which 
constrained  him,  what  might  we  not  be  and  do  ?  With  such 
a  faith,  there  is  nothing  in  the  way  of  toil,  or  self-denial,  we 
could  not  endure  ;  no  temptations  or  allui'^ments  we  could  not 
resist ;  no  lovely  forms  of  piety  we  could  not  exemplify ;  no 


200 

joys  of  salvation  we  miglit  not  experience  ;  no  peace  in  life  we 
conld  not  illustrate ;  and  no  glory  and  triumph  in  death  we 
might  not  exhibit  as  really  as  the  Apostle  Paul.  This  would 
be  as  much  for  our  own  comfort  as  for  the  confirmation  of  the 
glorious  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  Yes.  The  faith  of  Christ 
would  do  all;  "to  him  that  believeth  all  things  are  possible." 
Faith  has  a  kind  of  omnipotence.  There  is  no  history  like 
that  of  its  heroes.  It  has  "  wrought  righteousness,  subdued 
kingdoms,  obtained  promises,  stopped  the  mouth  of  lions, 
quenched  the  violence  of  fire."  If  Christ  is  the  same,  if  trutli 
the  same,  if  love  the  same,  why  should  not  the  life  be  the 
same  also  ?  This  "faith  in  the  Son  of  God"  is  what  we  minis- 
ters want  more  than  any  thing  else.  This  is  what  the  times 
demand ;  what  the  crisis  requires,  more  than  eloquence,  taste, 
science,  any  thing  else,  to  make  us  able  ministers.  We  must 
see  more  clearly  the  personal  existence,  of  the  Son  of  God ; 
grasp  the  living  reality  of  his  presence ;  feel  his  inward  life, 
and  be  entranced  with  his  unutterable  love,  and  thus  be 
changed  into  his  image.  This  would  make  us  preach  so  that 
men  would  hear,  and  believe,  and  be  saved.  Could  we  always 
behold  "  the  glory  of  God,  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,"  as  we 
see  the  sun  and  the  stars ;  could  we  ever  feel  his  presence 
beaming  upon  us,  as  John  did  on  Patmos ;  grasp  his  hand  and 
feel  the  throbbings  of  his  heart  of  love,  we  would  be  dead  to 
all  other  glory  or  ambition.  Then  we  could  speak,  as  Paul 
did,  of  realities,  known,  felt,  and  glorious.  Then  we  would 
never  come  down  from  the  elevations  of  the  pulpit,  (the  loftiest 
position  mortals  are  ever  called  to  occupy,)  in  order  to  pander 
to  the  morbid  appetites,  tickle  the  itching  ears,  or  cater  to  the 
perverted  taste  of  our  fellow  men.  We  should  not  preach 
ethics,  or  metaphysics,  or  politics,  but  Christ  first,  Christ  last, 
Christ  always;  Christ  in  his  person;  Christ  in  his  ofiices; 
Christ  as  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life— as  the  only  liope  of 
sinners,  the  only  Lord  God  ;  the  present  Governor  and  final 
Judge  ;    "  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords."    He  would  fill 


201 

our  vision,  be  the  substance  of  our  message  and  the  echo  of 
all  our  utterances.  Full  of  this  glor}^  ourselves,  and  reflecting 
it  all  around,  we  would  thus  change  men  "  into  the  same  image 
from  glory  to  glory" — write  on  men's  hearts  "  living  epistles, 
seen  and  read  of  all  men."  Then  we  would  patiently  toil  on, 
painting  portraits,  resemblances  of  infinite  grace  and  loveli- 
ness, which  will  grow  more  beautiful  and  mellow  in  the  atmo- 
sphere of  heaven,  and  through  the  cycles  of  eternity  forever 
and  ever ! 

Such  ministers  may  God's  grace  make  us  all,  and  such, 
brethren,  may  he  prove  whom  you  have  cliosen,  and  who  is 
now  to  be  installed  as  your  pastor.     Amen. 


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